Ecuador: Explosion in Borbón March 16

Event

A homemade device exploded at approximately 02:30 (local time) on Friday, March 16, at the perimeter fence of the naval checkpoint of Borbón (Esmeraldas province), located near the Colombian border. No fatalities or serious injuries have been reported. Authorities have arrested three people in relation to the blast and assured the public that there is no further danger. The area has been under the control of the armed forces since late January when a state of emergency was declared.

Context

This incident follows two other recent bombings, though officials have not been able to affirm nor rule out whether Friday’s bombing is related to either of the previous explosions. On February 22, a car bomb exploded in Cola canton’s El Lirio community, killing one person. The other bombing occurred on January 27 at a police station in San Lorenzo (Esmeraldas province) and injured dozens of people. According to security officials, the attack was a terrorist attack linked to drug trafficking networks who have since been beaten by state security forces. Ecuador has placed an extra 7000 security personnel in areas along the border with Colombia to counter incursions from ex-FARC dissidents and other criminal groups, as well as members of the ELN guerrilla group.

Advice

Individuals in Ecuador are advised to remain vigilant and report any suspicious behavior or objects to the relevant authorities.