Category: Ecuador

Ecuador: Mountains, Markets, and Music

So many foreign visitors who arrive in Ecuador spend next to no time in continental Ecuador, often merely overnighting between flights in its capital city of Quito. This is because their main destination is its Galapagos Islands, 836 miles from Quito, 563 miles from the coast of Ecuador west out in the Pacific Ocean. Big…


Ecuadorian Court Revokes Citizenship for Julian Assange

QUITO, Ecuador—Ecuador has revoked the citizenship of Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks who is currently in a British prison. Ecuador’s justice system formally notified the Australian of the nullity of his naturalization in a letter that came in response to a claim filed by the South American country’s Foreign Ministry. A naturalization is considered…


Fighting Among Prison Gangs in Ecuador Kills 22, Injures 80

QUITO, Ecuador—Rival gangs of inmates fought in two prisons in Ecuador, killing at least 22 people and injuring about 80, authorities said Thursday. Violence broke out on Wednesday in the main prison in the city of Guayaquil as well as the Latacunga prison in central Ecuador, according to prison authorities. Nine police officers and 70…


Giant Tortoise Considered Extinct 100 Years Ago is Found Still in Existence in Ecuador

A giant tortoise considered extinct a hundred years ago has been discovered very much alive and is currently living in Ecuador. Two years ago, the tortoise was found on Fernandina Island, one of the youngest and most pristine in the archipelago, during a joint expedition between the Galapagos National Park and the Galapagos Conservancy. On…


Ecuador Picks Conservative for President; Peru Sets Runoff

QUITO, Ecuador—Ecuador will be led for the next four years by a conservative businessman after voters rebuffed a left-leaning movement started by former President Rafael Correa more than a decade ago. That election certainty, however, did not extend to neighboring Peru, where the presidential contest is headed to a runoff after none of the 18…


Authorities: Prison Riots in Ecuador Leave 62 Dead

QUITO, Ecuador—Sixty-two inmates have died in riots at prisons in three cities in Ecuador as a result of fights between rival gangs and an escape attempt, authorities said Tuesday. Prisons Director Edmundo Moncayo said in a news conference that 800 police officers have been helping to regain control of the facilities. Hundreds of officers from…


US Saves Ecuador From China’s Debt Trap

WASHINGTON—The United States struck a deal with Ecuador to refinance its China debt, as part of an effort to counter Beijing’s growing influence in Latin America. The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) signed a framework agreement with the government of Ecuador on Jan. 14 to refinance its preexisting debt to China and support the…


Ecuador Declares State of Emergency Amid Violent Clashes

QUITO—Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso on Monday declared a state of emergency and night curfews in three coastal provinces, amid a wave of violence over the weekend in the Andean country that left at least eight people dead. Mr. Lasso declared the state of emergency in the provinces of Manabi and Los Rios and in the…