(CNN) — Ecuador appealed to the United States and other nations around the world to support the country after an increase in violence, including a recent attack on a television station and prison facilities in the country.
Speaking to CNN’s Christian Amanpour on Tuesday, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa said “international cooperation” is necessary because the issue is a “global problem.”
“I will gladly accept the cooperation of the United States. We need tools, we need weapons, we need intelligence and I think this is a global problem. It’s not just in Ecuador, it’s a problem that goes beyond borders,” he said.
“About 35, 40% of the drugs that leave Ecuador go to the United States and another similar percentage to Europe. That is why we should treat this as an international problem,” he added.
On January 12, 2024, a member of the Army patrols a neighborhood south of Quito. Credit: STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images
President Noboa says he is confident that Ecuador will eventually restore peace throughout the country.
“I am sure we will win this war. “I am confident that we can restore peace and restore stability in a country that has all the natural resources, that has a stable dollar economy and that we can create jobs and attract investment in the near future,” Noboa said.
Amanpour asked the Ecuadorian president about the more than 40 prisoners who escaped from a prison in northern Ecuador. Noboa said his team was working “systematically” to resolve the problem after already freeing 270 hostages.
“We have now restored stability in the prisons,” Noboa said, “now the military and the police are working together and the entire nation is united to eradicate this menace.”
“People want peace. People want to be able to walk freely on the street, to have their own business, to have stability so that their children can go to parks, go to school and go to university.”
“I think our operation is successful now. “We are making progress and I am sure that in the end we will achieve total victory,” he added.
More about the crisis in Ecuador:
(translation of tags)Daniel Noboa
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