Internacionales
Amazon Prison director dies in armed assault
The director of a prison in the Amazon region of Ecuador was killed in a shooting attack on Tuesday, and two prison officials were injured, according to the National Service for Comprehensive Attention to Prisons (SNAI).
“At kilometer 3 on the Coca road, three administrative staff members from the Sucumbíos Nº1 Correctional Facility were victims of an armed attack,” the agency reported via its WhatsApp channel.
It was reported that Álex Guevara, the director of Sucumbíos Nº1 prison, “tragically died as a result of the attack.” The other two staff members accompanying him were injured.
Local media released a photo of the vehicle used by the officials, showing multiple bullet holes in the windshield.
SNAI noted that the police are investigating the crime.
Last week, two prison guards were killed while on their way to work at a prison in Guayaquil (southwest), one of Ecuador’s most violent cities due to criminal gangs fighting over drug trafficking routes.
In 2023, Ecuador recorded a record 47 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, compared to a rate of 6 per 100,000 in 2018.
President Daniel Noboa’s administration claims that its crackdown on organized crime has led to a reduction in homicides. From January to September this year, there have been 4,236 reported murders, compared to 5,112 in the same period in 2023, according to the Ministry of the Interior.
Internacionales
At least 15 bodies found in clandestine graves in Chiapas amid rising violence
At least 15 bodies were found in clandestine graves in the Mexican state of Chiapas (southeast), which has been hit by a rise in violence linked to organized crime, according to local authorities.
Governor Eduardo Ramírez shared details on his X account about an operation to restore security in La Frailesca, an area near the border with Guatemala, known for its significant agricultural and livestock activities but which has suffered a series of blockades by criminal cells for the past three years.
“Communication routes have been cleared,” and “fifteen bodies have been located so far in clandestine graves in two properties,” the state governor stated.
He added that four people were arrested during the operation, and weapons and vehicles were seized, though it was not specified whether those captured were connected to the clandestine burials.
According to reports, criminal cells in La Frailesca are fighting for control of drug trafficking routes and other crimes such as kidnapping and extortion.
Alongside nearly two decades of violence linked to drug trafficking, Mexico has seen an increase in the discovery of irregular graves, some containing over a hundred bodies at various points across the country.
Recently, 12 bodies were found in a grave in the state of Jalisco (west).
Since December 2006, when a controversial military-led anti-drug operation was launched, Mexico has accumulated over 450,000 violent deaths and tens of thousands of disappearances, according to official figures.
Internacionales
One dead in explosive attack on new prison site in Santa Elena, Ecuador
An explosive attack at the construction site of a high-security prison on the coast of Ecuador left one dead, the presidency reported, describing the incident as a “terrorist act.”
“On the morning of December 25, 2024, a group of armed men carried out a terrorist act by violently entering the construction site of the new Santa Elena detention center, where they detonated explosive devices,” the presidency said in a statement.
It added that the attack “resulted in one person dead,” without specifying their identity. President Daniel Noboa’s government began construction of the high-security prison in June, designed to house about 800 people in the rural town of Juntas del Pacífico, in the coastal province of Santa Elena (southwest). The prison will cost 52 million dollars.
Internacionales
Sinaloa security secretary resigns amid wave of violence and cartel infighting
The Secretary of Security for the Mexican state of Sinaloa (in the northwest), which has been shaken for over three months by a wave of criminal violence that has claimed more than 600 lives, resigned from his position, Governor Rubén Rocha Moya confirmed on Saturday.
The local leader confirmed to AFP the resignation of Secretary Gerardo Mérida, and shortly after, he swore in the new head of the department, General Óscar Rentería. The newly appointed secretary has previously served as the commander of a military zone in the also troubled state of Michoacán (in the west) and led another military region in Mexico City when the current president, Claudia Sheinbaum, was mayor (2018-2023).
The wave of killings that is hitting the state is due to an internal war between two factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, the “Chapitos” and the “Mayos,” named after their leaders, the sons of drug lords Joaquín “Chapo” Guzmán and Ismael “Mayo” Zambada.
Both criminal bosses are imprisoned in the United States on drug trafficking charges, but their sons are fighting for control of the legendary cartel in Sinaloa. The cartel is identified by Washington as the largest producer of illegal fentanyl in Mexico.
Mérida’s departure comes amid ongoing clashes, which have left over 600 people dead and another 700 missing in just over 100 days, according to state prosecutor data.
The resignation also follows the murder last Wednesday in the capital of Sinaloa of Halexy Guadalupe, one of the members of the investigative team leading the government’s anti-crime strategy under Sheinbaum.
The president is scheduled to visit the state on Sunday to lead a Security Table meeting to address the ongoing violence crisis.
The US arrests almost 1,200 immigrants in one day, a new high
Mexico receives deportees from other countries from the United States, but denies being a “safe third country”
Israel’s ambassador to the UN gives 48 hours to UNRWA to evacuate its centers in Jerusalem
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Ecuador prison riot leaves at least 43 dead
-
Central America4 days agoTwo U.S. military planes deport dozens of Guatemalans amid Trump’s massive migration crackdown
-
Central America4 days agoBodies found in black plastic bags in a clandestine cemetery in Honduras
-
International2 days agoICE arrests over 2,300 undocumented immigrants in Trump’s first week
-
International2 days agoICE raid sparks outrage in Puerto Rico amid governor’s silence
-
International3 days agoEvo Morales accuses Luis Arce of aligning with Donald Trump and the U.S.
-
International3 days agoThousands of migrants begin trek North amid stricter U.S. immigration rules
-
International3 days ago
Honduras launches “Brother, Come Back Home” to support returning migrants
-
International2 days agoELN stands firm against surrender after Petro halts peace negotiations
-
International22 hours agoTrump defends the deportation of hundreds of immigrants in his first days in office
-
International22 hours agoMore than 200,000 people return to northern Gaza in an ongoing exodus
-
International22 hours agoJacmel, an oasis in the hell of Haiti
-
International2 days agoSheinbaum welcomes U.S.-Colombia agreement after diplomatic standoff
-
International22 hours agoIsrael’s ambassador to the UN gives 48 hours to UNRWA to evacuate its centers in Jerusalem
-
International22 hours agoThe trial of an Australian Instagramer accused of overmedicating her baby to get donations begins
-
International22 hours agoA deported Colombian says that in the United States they did not respect his rights and received inhuman treatment
-
International22 hours agoMexico receives deportees from other countries from the United States, but denies being a “safe third country”
-
International22 hours agoThe US arrests almost 1,200 immigrants in one day, a new high