Forty-five mayors in Ecuador asked police for help because the country is very violent. Since 2023, 22 local officials have died in violent situations. This information was given by the executive director of the Association of Ecuadorean Municipalities (AME). Government workers are in danger because the government is trying to stop criminal groups.

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In January, President Daniel Noboa said that there was a very serious problem and he made a special rule for the whole country, calling it a state of emergency. He also said that 22 gangs were very dangerous and they were like terrorists. This happened after some men with guns attacked a TV station in Guayaquil and took more than 100 prison guards as hostages.

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Last weekend, the problem got worse when the bodies of Brigitte Garcia, who was the 27-year-old mayor of San Vicente, and Jairo Loor, her communications director, were discovered in a car in the province of Manabi. Both were killed by gunshots, according to the police. Garcia, who was the mayor of a city on Ecuador's coast, was the second mayor to be killed since 2023.

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Agustin Intriago, who was the mayor of Manta, was shot and killed while visiting a neighborhood in the city in July, 2023. This happened about two weeks before the presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was assassinated in Quito, the capital. Villavicencio said he would fight against corruption when he ran for office. The government is protecting seventeen mayors in Ecuador with police, and others are paying for their own security.

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Homero Castanier, who works for an organization representing 221 mayors, said this on Tuesday. Galo Meza, the mayor of Balzar, in Guayas province, asked for police help. On Tuesday, he told the news that people with guns shot 65 times at his house on Monday night. His wife and son were at home at the time. "It's a very complicated situation," Castanier said in an interview.

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Mayors(A mayor is in charge of a city or town) People are risking their lives, wearing special jackets that protect them from bullets, and they are surrounded by guns. The mayors in Ecuador are getting threats and violence from organized crime groups. These groups have spread throughout the country and mayors in coastal areas are in more danger of being attacked.

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The country's ports, including the one in Guayaquil, the biggest city, are being used for smuggling drugs. "Right now, it's crucial to do a risk assessment for all the mayors in the country. We can use early warnings to stop attacks," said Castanier. Noboa, who became the leader last year after winning an election, said on Monday that Garcia's killing shows that drug dealers have infiltrated public institutions.

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