Ecuador: IEDs removed in Santo Domingo and Esmeraldas provinces April 28 /update 6

Event

On Saturday, April 28, two bomb threats were reported in Santo Domingo and Esmeraldas provinces. Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were reportedly found and neutralized at an electrical tower in Quinindé canton (Esmeraldas province) and from a car parked near the Gustavo Domínguez Hospital in the city of Santo Domingo (Santo Domingo province), prompting the evacuation of the hospital and a nearby shopping center. No casualties were reported in either incident; no group(s) immediately claimed responsibility for the placement of the IEDs.

The placement and removal of the IEDs came the day after Ecuador's interior and defense ministers resigned following the expiration of an ultimatum issued by President Lenín Moreno to capture "Guacho" - leader of the Oliver Sinisterra Front, a group of former FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia) dissidents active in the Colombian border region. Continuing operations against former FARC dissidents are expected in Ecuador, particularly in the Ecuador-Colombia border region, in the coming weeks.

Context

Security along Ecuador's border region with Colombia has deteriorated in recent months due to an increasing presence of Colombian organized crime groups, notably militants of the now-demobilized FARC guerrilla group who have refused to adhere to the 2016 peace agreement. A state of emergency in the Ecuadorian border cantons of San Lorenzo and Eloy Alfaro (Esmeraldas province) was initially declared following a bombing that targeted a police station on January 27, wounding 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 Ecuador-Colombia border. A string of violent incidents has since taken place in the border region.

On April 27, President Moreno announced that the existing state of emergency in San Lorenzo and Eloy Alfaro cantons of Esmeraldas province would be extended for 60 days. In particular, the populations of Mataje, El Pan, La Cadena, and Eloy Alfaro will continue to be under emergency measures. The government has suspended some civil rights in the communities, allowing security forces to enter homes and read correspondences without a warrant as well as the ability to limit freedom of transit and freedom of association and assembly.

Advice

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