Quito: In a shocking incident, an Ecuadorian councillor was shot dead in broad daylight in front of a crowd while she was recording a video about poor road conditions in the town of Naranjal in Guayas on Wednesday, according to multiple reports. Diana Carnero, 29, was chairing the council meeting before she was fatally shot by two unidentified male suspects on a motorcycle.
Ecuador's Attorney General's Office said it would be leading the investigation but so far there have been no arrests, according to the Mirror. Notably, Ecuador has a long history of criminal violence tied to drug trafficking. Carnero's death comes months after the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in August and amid an emergency and virtual war with gangs.
Carnero was a member of the Citizen Revolution Movement party formed by supporters of former President Rafael Correa. Her death was reported by Luiza Gonzalez, a former candidate for the 2023 polls and a member of the same party, on social media platform X.
"I just found out that today they murdered our colleague Diana Carnero, Councilor of Naranjal. A heartfelt hug to her family While these things happen, others dedicate themselves to criticising their vanity between voting NO or abstaining, how they have lost their way!" she said.
Correa, who served as president from 2007 to 2017, paid tribute to Carnero on X. "Diana was 29 years old. This is a nightmare. A hug to her family and all of Naranjal. When you have children of that age, you understand what their parents must be suffering. They cut short the life of a promise for Naranjal and the Homeland. What a disgrace!" he said.
Violence in Ecuador
As the country grapples with escalating violence, an Ecuadorian prosecutor investigating a dramatic attack at a television station earlier this month was shot dead last month in Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest and one of the most dangerous cities. Prosecutor César Suárez, who had carried out other high-profile investigations in the past, was shot while driving a vehicle.
Ecuador has been rocked by several instances of violent attacks, with the kidnappings of several police officers and a series of explosions across the country, a day after President Daniel Noboa declared a state of emergency. The decision was made in response to the prison escape of one of the most powerful drug gang leaders on Sunday.
The state of emergency was declared after Adolfo Macias, known as "Fito", the leader of the Los Choneros criminal gang, was discovered missing from his cell in a low-security prison on Sunday. He was scheduled to be transferred to a maximum security facility that day. Authorities said a group of prisoners escaped from a penitentiary in Riobamba, including Fabricio Colon Pico of the Los Lobos group, who was allegedly involved in an attack plot against the attorney general.
Noboa declared a 60-day state of emergency, sending the military onto the streets and naming 22 gangs as terrorist groups. In retaliation, the drug gangs threatened to execute civilians and security forces and took hostage dozens of police and prison officials, killing at least 20.
Less than a week after Villavicencio was assassinated, Pedro Briones, Briones is a local leader of Correa's party, was killed in a shooting incident in Esmeraldas province. Prior to that, the mayor of Manta city, Agustín Intriago, was killed in a shooting on July 26. Intriago was recently re-elected to a term beginning from May. In February last year, the candidate for mayor in the city of Puerto Lopez was also assassinated in broad daylight.
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