Volcanic ashfall affects two provinces; Llori seeks Assembly reinstatement; 66 arrested following bombing; Peru deports foreigners for ‘bad behavior’

The National Risk Management Service is warning residents of Chimborazo and Bolivar Provinces to take precautions against volcanic ashfall from the Sangay volcano. The Service advised residents to wear masks while outdoors and to wash ash from food before consumption.

The Service says it expects ash clouds to reach three more provinces on Friday and Saturday.

Authorities warn of continuing ashfall from the eruption of the Sangay volcano.

Areas experiencing the greatest ashfall are Riobamba, Pungalá, Flores, Punín, Colta and Santiago de Quito in Chimborazo Province. In Bolivar Province, the most affected communities are Guaranda, Gabriel Ignacio Veintimilla, Chavez, Guanujo, Chimbo and San Miguel.

The Geophysical Institute reports that “Sangay continues in a highly active state” with continuous emissions since Tuesday. It says ash and gas emissions occasionally reach heights of 5,000 meters above the crater and that lava flows are occurring on two side of the volcano. It advises that wind direction is generally to the northwest.

“We expect wind speed to increase Friday and Saturday, spreading ash to Los Ríos, Guayas and Manabí Provinces,” the Institute said in a statement.

66 arrested following Guayaquil bombing
The so-called Security Cabinet appointed by President Guillermo Lasso to combat crime in Guayaquil announced Thursday that it has made 66 arrests since Sunday’s bombing in the Cristo de Consuelo barrio. Interior Minister Patricio Carrillo, who heads the cabinet, said joint police and military personnel have conducted 4,500 operations since the bombing and say more are planned.

Among those arrested is Darío Arturo S., alias “Morado,” who admitted assembling and detonating the bomb that killed five and injured 17. “The Security Cabinet work will not stop until we capture all the leaders of gangs that have brought murder and violence to Guayaquil,” Carrillo said. “We have intelligence on many of the criminals and know where to find them. We will work with prosecutors and the courts to make sure that the guilty go to prison.”

Court to consider reinstating Llori as Assembly president
National Court Judge María del Carmen Salazar will decide Monday, August 22, if Guadalupe Llori will be reinstated as National Assembly president. In a ruling on Thursday, Salazar agreed with Llori that her ouster may have violated Assembly procedural rules.

Former National Assembly President Guadalupe Llori

Llori, a member of the indigenous Pachakutik party and the first woman to hold the Assembly presidency, was voted out of office May 31 based on “breach of duty” allegations. She was replaced by independent Virgilio Saquicela who subsequently aligned himself with the Correista UNES party.

In her complaint, Llori seeks dismissal of the Assembly Multiparty Commission members who investigated her, including Saquicela, and compensation of $8.1 million.

Saquicela called Salazar’s decision to hear Llori’s appeal “legally inadmissible” and an indication of corruption in Ecuador’s legal system.

Peru to deport foreigners for ‘bad behavior’
Peruvian President Pedro Castillo announced Thursday that he has ordered immigration officials to deport foreigners for “disruptive and bad behavior,” saying incidents of criminal and socially unacceptable behavior is increasing.

At a press conference, Castillo said that nine Colombian and U.S. citizens were expelled last week for possession of drugs and firearms. A Canadian couple who presented false Covid-19 vaccine certificates to airport immigration officials were also deported.

“We are experiencing an increase of cases of foreigners, some of them legal residents, who are violating our laws and regulations,” Castillo said. “We do not tolerate the use or sale of illegal drugs and we insist that visitors and residents follow all national health laws, including the requirement for Covid vaccination.”

He added that those deported lived in Arequipa, Cusco and Lima.