Ecuador: councilor kidnapped and shot dead
September 9, 2023

Ecuador: councilor kidnapped and shot dead
A municipal councilor has been shot dead in Ecuador. He was last Thursday and his body was found Friday morning. Bolivar Vera was a member of the city council in Duran, a city directly across the river from the large port city of Guayaquil.

Vera was a member of the centre-right Social Christian Party (PSC). He had been killed with several bullets in the head and chest.

On Thursday afternoon, Vera was traveling in a car with his cousin when they were stopped by armed men. Vera was taken away, his cousin was unharmed.

Guayaquil
The city of Duran is located near the container port of Guayaquil. Organized drug criminals have a lot of influence there. According to the mayor of Duran, 30 violent deaths have been reported since the country's government declared a state of emergency in the area last year.

Vera is the eighth local politician to be shot dead. In August, a municipal official was murdered in Duran.

Fito
Last month a presidential candidate was assassinated. Several suspects are in custody for this. The murder was allegedly carried out by a group of Colombian drug criminals. A court in Ecuador ruled last Friday that there was not enough evidence in that case against detained criminal José Adolfo Macías , known by the alias “Fito” and the leader of the criminal organization Los Choneros. He had been placed in a specially guarded cell for interrogation and for security reasons. The judge has now reversed that.

The second round of the presidential elections will be held in October.