Tensions between Ecuador and Mexico have just reached their highest point this Friday when Ecuadorian police officials broke into the Mexican Embassy in Quito, where former Vice President Jorge Glas was taking refuge. He is being accused of corruption and is under investigation for his links with drug trafficking.
🚨 #ULTIMAHORA | La Policía de Ecuador irrumpe en la embajada de México en Quito, Ecuador, en donde se oculta el exvicepresidente socialista Jorge Glas. pic.twitter.com/ofV76gsMtb
— VOZ (@VozMediaUSA) April 6, 2024
🇲🇽🇪🇨 | URGENTE: Las fuerzas especiales de Ecuador han INGRESADO a la Embajada de México y acaban de DETENER al prófugo de la justicia Jorge Glas, el hombre más buscado del país.
INFORMACIÓN CONFIRMADA. pic.twitter.com/eYolzX0fZN
— Agustín Antonetti (@agusantonetti) April 6, 2024
In a statement published by the Presidency of Ecuador, the authorities announced the arrest of Glas and also stated that they are a sovereign nation that will not tolerate "that any criminal goes unpunished."
A la ciudadanía: pic.twitter.com/KKhTQVbXD8
— Presidencia Ecuador 🇪🇨 (@Presidencia_Ec) April 6, 2024
The Mexican president reacted to the attack on the Embassy by calling it an authoritarian act and announcing the rupture of diplomatic relations with Ecuador.
"I have just been informed by Alicia Bárcena, our Secretary of Foreign Affairs, that Ecuadorian police forcibly entered our embassy and detained the former vice president of that country, who was a refugee and seeking asylum due to the persecution and harassment he faces," AMLO wrote. "This is a flagrant violation of international law and Mexico's sovereignty, for which I have instructed our foreign minister to issue a statement on this authoritarian act, proceed legally and immediately declare the suspension of diplomatic relations with the government of Ecuador."
Me acaba de informar Alicia Bárcena, nuestra secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores que policías de Ecuador entraron por la fuerza a nuestra embajada y se llevaron detenido al exvicepresidente de ese país quien se encontraba refugiado y tramitando asilo por la persecución y el acoso…
— Andrés Manuel (@lopezobrador_) April 6, 2024
Diplomatic tension between Mexico and Ecuador
The news comes amid a diplomatic crisis between Ecuador and Mexico following accusations made by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) on Thursday. AMLO alleged that President Daniel Noboa came to power through the murder of former presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. This comment prompted an immediate response from the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry, resulting in the declaration of the Mexican ambassador “persona non grata.”
Likewise, amid the diplomatic conflict, AMLO granted Glas political asylum. Glas was the vice president to former socialist president Rafael Correa, an ally of the Mexican president.
Subsequently, Mexico requested safe passage for Glas, which was denied by the Ecuadorian authorities, who automatically militarized the surroundings of the Mexican Embassy due to a possible flight risk.
According to various reports, Ecuadorian police entered the Mexican embassy "by force." Police arrived and later broke into the Mexican diplomatic headquarters, gaining access to the patios.
Roberto Canseco, head of the Mexican consular section in Quito, said that the situation was a clear abuse and a blow to international law.
“What you have just seen is an attack on international law and the inviolability of the Mexican embassy in Ecuador. Totally unacceptable. This can not be. It is barbarism. They can't violate the diplomatic premises as they have done. It is ignominy for a state,” Canseco told the media.
“They hit me. I fell to the ground. And I physically tried to prevent them from entering. As criminals, they raided the Mexican embassy in Ecuador. This is not possible. It just can't be. It's crazy,” said Canseco.
🇪🇨🇲🇽 | URGENTE: Palabras de Roberto Canseco, quien cumple las funciones de embajador de México en Ecuador, tras la irrupción de las fuerzas del orden en la Embajada, para capturar al exvicepresidente Jorge Glas. pic.twitter.com/f8oYQUj7FW
— UHN PLUS (@UHN_Plus) April 6, 2024
This is a developing story.
