On Friday, hitmen fatally shot an Ecuadorian colonel overseeing anti-drug initiatives in a city plagued by rampant narco violence that has disrupted the peace of this once-stable South American nation.

According to police reports, Colonel Porfirio Cedeno, who commanded a special operations unit of the air force, was ambushed and shot multiple times while en route to a military ceremony in Guayaquil.

Authorities stated that over 20 bullets were fired at the pickup truck carrying him, injuring the driver in the leg, as confirmed by police official Santiago Tuston.

Cedeno was traveling from Guayaquil to Manta, located approximately three hours away. Both cities have been engulfed in violence as rival drug gangs battle for territory, causing homicide rates in Ecuador to spike dramatically.

The pickup ended up stranded in the road with its windows shattered and its body covered in bullet holes, as noted by AFP reporters at the scene.

Police managed to recover more than 20 shell casings at the location. Investigators suspect the attackers were also traveling in a vehicle.

Colonel Cedeno was the head of a specialized unit dedicated to dismantling drug trafficking operations, contract killings, and extortion in Duran, a city adjacent to Guayaquil.

Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo stated that the colonel’s assassination should prompt a strong response against organized crime, calling for a “war cry” to confront this issue.

“It is within our power to transform this act of cowardice into a decisive end to an era marked by terror and the individuals who perpetuate it,” he declared.

The military has announced an unspecified reward for information leading to the capture of those involved in the colonel’s death.

– ‘Beloved Friend’ –

Ecuador is home to an estimated 20 criminal organizations engaged in activities such as drug trafficking, kidnapping, and extortion, perpetuating fear across the 18 million residents of a country squeezed between two of the world’s biggest cocaine producers—Peru and Colombia.

In recent years, the nation has seen a surge in violence linked to transnational drug cartels that utilize its ports for shipping drugs to both the United States and Europe.

In 2023, Ecuador recorded an unprecedented 47 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants.

Thanks to a state of emergency and a military crackdown initiated by President Daniel Noboa, who took office in November 2023, that rate fell to 38 per 100,000 the previous year, according to official statistics.

Noboa is aiming for another term in office, with elections headed to a runoff in April after the inconclusive first round last Sunday, in which he narrowly defeated challenger Luisa Gonzalez.

In a post on social media platform X, former president Rafael Correa paid tribute to his “beloved friend” Cedeno, who was part of his security detail.

The presidency issued a statement indicating that these tragic events “highlight the state of war that Ecuador is currently embroiled in.”

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