This is a

this is CBS I in the world the new world report. I'm John Bachelor my colleague and friend

Professor Avignellis here to help us understand a story of violence in Ecuador.

The story spills in many directions I want to begin with right now, Ecuador is saying they've captured the leader of a gang called Las Lobos,

but at the same time there's reason to doubt that the capture of one leader if called, is going to solve the story because mayors of Ecuador,

the story in Reuters, are seeking police protection amid what is called spiraling violence.

Kito deadline, headline.

45 mayors in Ecuador requested police protection in the past year,

violence grips the country. 22 local officials have died in

violent circumstances since 2023. There is a new president, Daniel Naboa, who was

elected in the course of the violence, and there was one presidential

candidate whom the professor knew, who was assassinated, a journalist.

So it would appear that Dan on the Boa taking on Las Lobos is taking on a much

larger situation. Professor, when this first emerged, I remember the assassination of the mayor of a port city that I learned subsequently

was a nexus for drug smuggling.

These assassinations, how do they serve the drug smugglers, is the idea to keep Ecuador completely violent all the time does that serve their purpose? Thank you

Well, John depending on on the specific assassination, it's often either to intimidate the

mayors in other local officials or to intimidate surrounding population or sometimes it's

involved a competition between groups for

territory in which you know sometimes the elected officials themselves are

involved or seen as involved with one group or not.

But the broader picture here, as you alluded to, is tiny Ecuador is found itself between Latin

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