Our country is going through a situation of widespread insecurity. Delinquency and organised crime have caused the population to live in a permanent climate of mistrust, fear and a feeling of defencelessness on the part of the State.
The alliance of local gangs with international drug cartels has transformed Ecuador into a territory where control of the drug trade is violently contested. This situation has caused the destabilisation of the Government and the very structures of the State. Through the investigation of the Prosecutor's Office, known as the "Metastasis" case, links between drug trafficking and the political class, the judicial system and the law enforcement agencies themselves were revealed.
Despite the Government's efforts to maintain order and social peace, on Tuesday, 9 January, Ecuador experienced one of its most violent days, with bombings, looting, robberies and the raid of a group of armed criminals on a television station. This has resulted in a state of shock at national level.
In the face of the latest events, it is important to communicate that all the Salesian confreres are working normally and the physical structures of our communities have not been affected. However, in cities such as Esmeraldas and Guayaquil, some families close to the Salesians have suffered extortion by criminal gangs operating in those areas.
To ensure the safety of colleagues in Salesian communities and works, the following measures have been adopted: the suspension of face-to-face classes in the 22 Salesian School Centres (CES, in Spanish) and in the three campuses of the Salesian Polytechnic University (UPS); the use of teleworking as suggested by the government authorities; and the application of preventive mobility and security measures to maintain order and security in each of our presences.
Finally, trusting in God and our Mother the Help of Christians, we hope that tranquillity and security will return to Ecuador, to continue building a peaceful society for all.
Fr Marcelo Farfán, SDB
Provincial of the Salesians in Ecuador
