Cuenca-Guayaquil highway reopens; Ecuador, EU sign security pact; Ecuador ranks sixth for ‘most violent’ cities; UN urges expansion of reproductive rights

The Cuenca- Molleturo-Guayaquil highway reopened to traffic Friday morning following a six-hour closure due to landslides between kilometer markers 50 and 52. The highway has experienced a series of landslides since last weekend, following heavy rain.

Although the Transportation Ministry said one lane has been cleared for traffic, the highway remains in “continuing danger” of more landslides and that motorists should check the ministry website before traveling. The ministry added that the bypass around the slide areas is “very rough” and that heavy vehicles should consider alternate routes depending on their cargo.

One lane has been reopened to traffic on the Cuenca- Molleturo-Guayaquil highway following multiple landslides. The Transportation Ministry warns that new landslides are possible.

Work is underway to rebuild a portion of the Cuenca-Girón-Machala highway following the washout of a 10-meter section. The ministry said crews are working around the clock to meet a deadline to reopen the highway by February 28.

Ecuador and the EU sign security pact
The European Union and Ecuador have signed an agreement to coordinate security operations. According to the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry, the pact is aimed at fighting transnational organized crime, especially the illegal drug trade.

Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld said the agreement, signed Friday, is part of the government’s plan to develop international alliances to fight organized crime. Last week, President Daniel Noboa asked the National Assembly to authorize foreign military bases in Ecuador for the purpose of combating the international drug trade.

In a statement, the EU said the agreement allows “joint efforts, investigations and law enforcement actions” against international crime groups involved in drug trafficking and other illegal actions. It said it will provide funding for technological improvements, especially of surveillance operations in EU and Ecuadorian ports. The agreement also establishes crime prevention monitoring centers in the EU and Ecuador.

Ecuador ranks sixth for ‘most violent’ cities
Ecuador ranks only behind Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, South Africa and the United States for having the most violent cities in the world. In an annual survey compiled by the International Citizen Council for Public Security, Ecuador placed three cities, Machala, Guayaquil and Manta, on its list of top 50 most violent cities.

Machala ranked seventh in the world for murders, with 87.5 per 100,000 population, followed by Guayaquil (73.6) and Manta 70.8).

Port-au-Prince, Haiti, topped the survey with 139.31 homicides per 100,000.

In number of cities with the highest murder rates, Mexico had 20 in the top 50, Brazil had eight and Colombia six.

UN says Ecuador should expand reproductive rights
The United Nations Human Rights Committee has issued a recommendation that Ecuador and Nicaragua expand and protect reproductive rights. Although it’s unclear if and how the countries will implement the proposal, the UN says action is necessary to comply with the reproductive rights movement in Latin American and to decriminalize abortion.

The recommendation is the result of a UN survey that found a regional pattern of girls being forced into motherhood due to sexual violence and a lack of access to reproductive health services, such as abortion.

Responding the UN, two members of Ecuador’s National Assembly say they will introduce legislation to comply with the recommendation.