Ecuador: British government issues new travel security advice March 29 /update 2

Event

The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) issued new travel security advice for Ecuador on Thursday, March 29, encouraging UK citizens to avoid all travel to within a 20-km (12.4-mi) exclusion zone extending out from the northern Colombian border (including parts of the provinces of Sucumbíos, Esmeraldas, and Carchi). The town of Tulcán (Carchi province) is excluded from the warning. The announcement comes amid several recent attacks along the Colombia-Ecuador border.

Context

Security along Ecuador's border region with Colombia has deteriorated in recent months due to an increased presence of Colombian organized crime groups, notably militants of the now-demobilized FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia) guerrilla group. A state of emergency in the border cantons of San Lorenzo and Eloy Alfaro (Esmeraldas province), recently extended to April 28, was initially declared following a bombing that targeted a police station in San Lorenzo on January 27 which wounded some 30 people. The attack has been attributed to ex-FARC dissidents and was likely in retaliation for security operations targeting drug trafficking along the Colombia-Ecuador border. A string of violent incidents has since occurred in the border region, including the following recent events:

• March 20: An improvised explosive device (IED) killed three soldiers and wounded six more in the Mataje area of Esmeraldas province
• March 26: An IED attack damaged a military vehicle in Mataje
• March 26: The Ecuadorian army discovered a vacant FARC camp in the Putumayo area of Sucumbíos province
• March 26: A team of Ecuadorian journalists were kidnapped in Esmeraldas, likely by ex-FARC militants

Advice

Individuals in Ecuador, particularly those in or planning travel to the Colombia-Ecuador border region, are advised to monitor developments to the situation and adhere to all instructions issued by the local authorities.