Correa’s life is in danger during visit, his brother says, citing the assassination of Aloy Afaro in 1912

Fabricio Correa says he fears for the life of his brother, ex-president Rafael Correa. “I worry that his visit to Ecuador will end badly,” Fabricio said during a radio interview Monday, repeating statements he made on his Twitter account over the weekend.

Fabricio Correa

“I am afraid history might repeat itself from 100 years ago,” he said, referring to the assassination of former president Eloy Alfaro.

In January 1912, a Catholic mob took Alfaro and several colleagues from their jail cells in Quito where they were serving terms for a failed coup attempt two weeks earlier. Alfaro was tortured and dragged through the streets, his body finally burned in El Ejido Park.

“Today, my brother has returned to Ecuador, filled with fanaticism but with almost no followers,” said Fabricio. “He is very vulnerable since he has many enemies and has lost the public support he had when he was in office.” He added that the Correa family is very worried about the visit, especially his mother.

In the Guayaquil interview, Fabricio Correa drew a correlation between his brother and Alfaro after they left office. “They were both populists who had lost support but refused to acknowledge it. They were both blinded by their sense of self-importance. Alfaro returned from Panama believing the public would rise up to his support. It is the same with my brother.”

The Correa brothers have been estranged since 2010 when President Correa cancelled multi-million dollar contracts his brother had obtained through the government.