He Minister of Defense of Ecuador, Gian Carlo Loffredopromised that there will be no cover-up in the case of the disappearance of four teenagers after being detained by the military, a fact that has shocked the country.

Before the legislative commission on Children, to which he was summoned, the senior official sent a message to the parents of the minors, committing to “not cover up anything or anyone” and “act with total transparency” to clarify the whereabouts. of the adolescents between 11 and 15 years old.

He added that he will continue to “collaborate and provide (…) all the facilities for the Prosecutor’s Office to clarify this case,” which generated terror after the discovery of four charred bodies near a military base without the authorities informing about their identification.

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Who are the missing children in Ecuador?
Saúl Arboleda, Steven Medina and the brothers Josué and Ismael Arroyo disappeared after being detained by the military on December 8 in the sector of The Falklandsin the south of the port of Guayaquil (southwest), one of the main cities hit by the violence of the drug trafficking where the government keeps the Armed Forces deployed in the streets.

On December 24, after the justice system determined that there was a “forced disappearance” of the teenagers, four charred bodies were found in a mangrove area near the base of the Ecuadorian Air Force (FAE) in the town of Taura, on the outskirts of Guayaquil.

The commander of the FAE, Celiano Cevallos, said before the same parliamentary commission that “the military personnel would have acted (…) in the face of an alleged flagrant crime,” in reference to an alleged complaint of a robbery in progress and for which the teenagers were arrested.

“No operation was arranged in the Las Malvinas sector,” he added.

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Serious complaints

On the night of December 8, an unknown person contacted the Arroyo family and put Ismael on the phone, who according to his father reported that agents “came down like crazy,” “chased” them, “shot into the air,” ” mistreated” and “left them thrown away.

In another subsequent call, an anonymous person assured the family that “the mafia took them.”

UN and OAS organizations, as well as international human rights NGOs, have expressed their concern about the case, for which a court in Guayaquil will set up a hearing this Tuesday to file charges against 16 soldiers who participated in the arrest.

Some 40 social organizations held the president responsible Daniel Noboa for the “serious human rights violations” recorded in 2024, within the framework of his fight against organized crime that led him to declare the country in internal armed conflict at the beginning of the year, mobilizing the military to the streets.

Source: https://www.noticiascaracol.com/mundo/desaparicion-de-cuatro-adolescentes-tras-operativo-militar-en-ecuador-cb20

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