Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa was rescued from a Quito police hospital late Thursday, after being held “practically captive” there [the president’s words] for over 12 hours by insurrectionary elements of the country’s police forces. The rescue appears to have averted what Correa called an “attempted coup” against his government. In dramatic fashion, the members of the country’s armed forces and special operations agents led the rescue mission, rolling a gas-masked Correa out of the medical facilities in a wheelchair around 9pm [Correa is still recovering from a recent knee surgery]. Upon his return to the presidential palace the president addressed supporters who had amassed below, calling Thursday a day of “profound sadness” because of the loss of life. But, even so, the Ecuadorean leader remained defiant. Reuters quoting Correa:
“Despite the danger, being surrounded, ministers and politicians came, to die if necessary. With that bravery, with that loyalty, nothing can defeat us.”
Meanwhile, back at the hospital, a shootout between what appeared to be the Ecuadorean military and insurrectionists continued while the president spoke. There were reports from the Red Cross that two members of the police were killed during the rescue mission while there are others are saying at least 88 people were injured. A state of emergency, announced yesterday, appears to remain in effect this morning.
What do we know about what led to the crisis and who appears responsible for it?
Reports indicate that the day began with a police officer’s strike against a new law that they argued would cut benefits for public servants. Correa arrived at the police barracks Thursday morning giving a fiery speech directed at the police forces. When he attempted to leave, he was struck by a tear gas canister, IPS reports, and ushered off to the nearby police hospital for treatment. The dissident police forces followed the president there, surrounding the hospital and preventing government officials and Correa supporters from gaining access to the facilities. Meanwhile, at Quito’s international airport, sectors of the national air force joined in the uprising Thursday afternoon, shutting down air traffic. Multiple highways were also cordoned off by police forces and unrest appeared spread nationwide, including to the principal port city of Guayaquil.
For its part, the military’s chief of staff, Gen. Ernesto Gonzalez, announced his forces remained loyal to the president. Meanwhile, both Latin American countries and the United States pledged their full backing of President Correa in official statements and at an emergency session of the OAS in Washington. Peru and Colombia closed their borders with Ecuador yesterday afternoon. And South American leaders quickly departed for Buenos Aires for a special meeting of UNASUR, which also took place late Thursday night.
With early reporting this morning, El Comercio is saying the commander of Ecuador’s police forces, Gen. Freddy Martinez Pico, has turned in his resignation. The country’s attorney general has pledged an investigation into Thursday’s events, adding that he would “prosecute the people behind this.” That investigation will likely begin with Lucio Gutierrez, the former president who himself came to power in a 2000 uprising (only later to be overthrown in 2005). At the peak of yesterday’s crisis Gutierrez called for the complete dissolution of parliament and also the resignation of Mr. Correa. He was singled out by Correa and top government officials at various points yesterday and while the president spoke from the presidential palace, chants of “Lucio, Asesino” could be heard from the crowds below. [Gutierrez has thus far denied accusations that he was involved]. For more resources on the fall-out from Thursday, the Center for Democracy in the Americas, Just the Facts, El Comercio, and Hoy.
UPDATE: IPS has an interview up with Jorge Rojas of the respected Colombian rights group, the Consultancy on Human Rights and Displacement (CODHES). He was in Quito Thursday and witnessed the day's events. His account suggests something significantly more serious than a simple protest gone wrong.
To a handful of other stories:
· Last minute coverage of Sunday elections in Brazil, from the Wall Street Journal. The Economist, meanwhile, recaps the Lula presidency and the possible legacy he will leave.
· Also from the Economist, an audio interview with IDB president, Luis Alberto Moreno – topics range from China to Haiti and more.
· The CS Monitor has an interesting report on violence in Mexico, examining why Mexican mayors have become the new target of cartel assassinations. At least 11 mayors have been killed this year, the report says – five in just the last six weeks. According to Raul Benitez, a security expert at Mexico City’s UNAM, the uptick in murders “comes as the federal government is increasing intelligence capabilities and taking a harder look at collusion between traffickers and local police and authorities, as it looks to centralize the police force.” Interestingly, the mayoral violence has largely been restricted to small towns in Mexico where “security is scant” and where traffickers have frequently been able to “entice poorly paid local police onto their payrolls so that they can act with impunity to stash drugs, weapons, or cash.”
· A bit delayed, but not to be forgotten, the Washington Post finally gets out its editorial on Venezuela’s elections last Sunday. There is an important things to be said about issues of gerrymandering and mal-apportionment which skewed post-election assembly representation toward the PSUV [issues Kirk Hawkins and Michael Shifter were likely to have touched upon Thursday in a now-delayed Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere hearing], but as usual, the Post already seems to have known what it wanted to argue before Sunday’s vote.
· The Canadian Foundation for the Americas (FOCAL) has a new collection of essays out on the topic of Latin American multilateralism.
· And finally news that Colombia’s Hollman Morris is being honored with the Nuremburg Human Rights Award for his coverage of “violence and human rights violations still rife today in Colombia.” “By honouring Morris, the jury also honours independent, investigative journalism which as a vigilant guardian supports the cause of human rights,” a press release on the award reads.
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