Ecuador's youngest mayor assassinated.

National police said they are investigating the deaths of Garcia, the 27-year-old mayor of San Vicente, and her communications director, Jairo Loor, after their bodies were discovered in Manabi province. Police said in a statement that both died from gunshot wounds.

Ecuador is facing a serious problem of drug gang violence. Photo: GI

Later on Sunday, police said the gunshots came from inside the rented car and they were tracking the vehicle's GPS system. Ms. Garcia is a member of former President Rafael Correa's Civic Revolutionary Movement party.

Rafael Correa and Luisa Gonzalez, the party's presidential candidates in the recent election, called Garcia's killing an assassination. Gonzalez wrote in an X-rated post: "I just found out they assassinated our colleague, San Vicente Mayor Brigitte Garcia."

Garcia is the latest political figure in the country to be killed following the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio last August. Villavicencio, a vocal critic of corruption and organized crime, was killed as he left a campaign event two weeks before the election.

Newly elected President Daniel Noboa declared a state of emergency in January amid escalating violence, including an incident where armed men seized a television station during a live broadcast. Noboa also designated 22 criminal groups as terrorist organizations.

The state of emergency was extended in Ecuador earlier this month. In a statement, Noboa's administration condemned the murder and said they were working with police and the prosecutor's office to investigate the incident.

Hoang Anh (according to Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/thi-truong-tre-nhat-ecuador-bi-am-sat-post289058.html