Draft:Insurgency in Ecuador

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Insurgency in Ecuador
Group of PCE-SR militants in a forest.
Date 1 June, 1993 – Present Location Ecuador Result Ongoing In Spite of a distingct lack of fighting on either side of the Insurgency in Ecuador, the strife continues.
Belligerents
Ecuador Armed Forces of Ecuador National Police of Ecuador	GCP PCE-SR ELA FARE CAR (2005-2008) FARC dissidents (From 2018)
Commanders and leaders
Daniel Noboa (Current)	Comrade Joselo (Until 2022)
Strength
Unknown	PCE-SR: 1,000 members. FARE: 400 militants

The insurgency in Ecuador, is an ongoing armed conflict, involving Armed Militant Communist groups against the govermnent of Ecuador, the main one being the Marxist–Leninist Communist Party of Ecuador having its Armed wing, the Group of Popular Combatants (GCP) and the Communist Party of Ecuador – Red Sun (PCE-SR)and other combatants.

it is related to the Colombian Conflict, and the Internal Conflict in Peru, with the PCE-SR having ties with other militant groups, like Shining Path in Peru.

In 2006, From 1988 to May 1994, the PCE-SR have claimed to have made 502 armed actions.

Background & Pre-Insurgency

Origins of Ecuador

Ecuador first tried to get independence from Spain in the Quito Revolution, forming the Short-lived State of Quito, but it failed.

But in 1822, it succeded to declare independence of Spain in the Ecuadorian War of Independence, with Guayaquil, and became a sovereign country, and later part of Gran-Colombia. But Ecuador for the most time, unlike their bordering countries such as Colombia or Peru, hasn't seen major civil wars or internal strife in recent decades.

Pre-Insurgency

But in the Cold War, Wars and Insurgencies by Socialists or Communists spread over the World, Especially over Latin America. With it, multiple Leftist-Parties and groups were founded in Ecuador over the time, and one of them was the MLCPE, and also others.

Before the insurgency, the main guerrila group in ecuador was the "¡Alfaro Vive, Carajo!", which operated from 1982 to 1991, when in 1991 they made an peace accord with the Govermnent of Ecuador, being the first guerrilla in Latin America to do it.

With the economic crisis in the 1990s, resulted in an inflationary currency crisis, and other ones, which would allow the Communist Party of Ecuador – Red Sun in 1993, to spread violence among other groups and drug traffickers.

However thanks to the low living conditions and the constant spillover of the Shining Path & FARC; an insurgency would slowely emerge.

Insurgency

Communist Party of Ecuador – Red Sun (PCE-SR)

The Insurgency started with the formation of a supporting Shining Path movement known as the Red Sun (PCE-SR) it was a maoist guerrila group, followed by the most influential group: Group of Popular Combatants (GCP). On 1 June of 1993, the PCE-SR started the insurgency and attacked Rural areas to the west of Zumba, Zamora Chinchipe,The PCE-SR had close ideological and military ties with the Communist Party 'Shining Path' in Peru.

The PCE-SR used sabotage tatics, they attacked banks, Peruvian embassy in Ecuador, Courts, Transport drivers in multiple operations, Parties and etc.

In a unknown date, the Ecuadorian Army did a campaign in Guayaquil in that involved two thousand troops, helicopters, tankettes and gunboats, the soldiers enter a Guayaquil suburb (38th and K) to dismantle to say of them the "Red Sun subversive fabric". The repressive operation left some dead, several detainees and a lot of captured military and quartermaster material.

Operation Red Sun

On 3 March 2012, 10 alleged members of the GCP were arrested and had on charges of subversion and terrorism. The PCE-SR condemned this as an escalation of repression by the Ecuadorian state. The case itself, which became known as the Luluncoto 10, would become controversial over the process of criminalizing political groups as terrorist organizations. Months later, the PCE-SR ruled on the forced disappearance of 43 students in Ayotzinapa, calling it a state crime and accusing President Enrique Peña Nieto of being in charge of a narco-state. In October 2014, the PCE-SR announced its solidarity with the Popular Protection Units for the defense carried out in the siege of Kobane.

Group of Popular Combatants (GCP)

The Group of Popular Combatants (GCP) was formed in 1994, during the presidency of Sixto Durán Ballén. It became much more active in the 2000s and since then it has participated in a series of attacks against foreign diplomats, as well as several bomb attacks.

GCP Protesters.

The GCP committed an attack on September 28, 1997 in Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador. No one was injured or killed in the attack.

Another GCP attack occurred on February 16, 2000 in Guayaquil city, Guayas, Ecuador. A television network received a video tape which contained a concealed bomb. The civil Rafael Cuesta, the news editor at the station, and the only casualty in the attack, was wounded when the bomb went off inside the station. Prior to the attack, the news station had warnings about a possible attack from a different group, This initially led authorities to blame a different organization, although, the Group of Popular Combatants did eventually take responsibility. Rafael Cuesta was the only person injured and no one was killed.

In 2002 it was reported that the Group of Popular Combatants was attempting to establish a rural base in a remote jungle region bordering Colombia, and that they maybe had been receiving training from some of the guerrilla groups involved in the ongoing Colombian conflict.

The GCP claimed that in it's system, the combatants accumulate revolutionary merits, they strive to contribute with initiatives so that the organization develops, advances, expresses itself democratically and responsibly fulfills the resolutions that are taken in the groups and the leadership teams. Those who accumulate more merits are part of the provincial leadership teams, democratically elected in an assembly.

On November 22, 2010, the GCP claimed responsibility for a bomb attack placed in the head office of the University of Guayaquil. The GCP claimed they used the bomb to attempt to influence student elections held at the University.

The GCP claimed in 6 December 2010, to have territory in the Azuay Province, and claimed standing in solidarity with the troops of the police, the army and the air force in the local.

On 3 March 2012, 10 alleged members of the GCP were arrested and had on charges of subversion and terrorism, The PCE-SR condemned this as an escalation of repression by the Ecuadorian state. The case itself, which became known as the Luluncoto 10, would become controversial over the process of criminalizing political groups as terrorist organizations.

Alfarist Liberation Army (ELA)

The Alfarist Liberation Army (ELA) (from spanish 'Ejército de Liberación Alfarista'), was another combatant in the conflict, which information about it is very unknown.

This group is said to have resumed the "revolutionary armed struggle" and infiltrated, in Quito, the popular and student demonstrations that led to the fall of the government of Lucio Gutiérrez.

Intelligence reports from the Ecuadorian government suggest that ELA's contacts with people from Venezuela are not only certain but frequent, and include some meetings that would have taken place in Quito itself, such as those that served to launch a clandestinely printed magazine, entitled Liberación.

Revolutionary Armed Forces of Ecuador (FARE)

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Ecuador (FARE), is another group with very little information in.

Allegedly, this group is 400-men strong and has been trained and equipped by the FARC. It is held responsible for a 2003 bomb attack in Guayaquil. the ministry of defence believes that the FARE does not pose a security threat, but the Ecuadorian police view it as a problem.

In 22 July 2002, The Freedom House stated that Colombian right-wing paramilitary groups had "infiltrated northern Ecuador" in order to "target locals there who they believed might be cooperating with the guerrillas".

On November 22 2011, FARE set two separate bombs exploded nearly simultaneously in downtown Guayaquil, the first of which went off in front of the local Ministry of Health offices, while the second detonated several blocks away.

Amazonic Revolutionary Command (CAR)

The Amazonic Revolutionary Command (Comando Amazónico Revolucionario) (CAR), is another, group in the conflict, in 29 May, 2005, CAR exploded A leaflet bomb in the Ecuadorian city of Macas. The incident occurred at 11:35 a.m., when members of the Ecuadorian Army stationed in the 21st Condor Brigade in Patuca were participating in the civic parade in honor of the founding celebrations of Macas.

CAR had built camps in the region on the same year.

FARC dissidents

After FARC broke in 2016, it´s dissidents started operating on Ecuador, in border towns with Colombia.

The Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) claimed that Colombian paramilitary officers in Lago Agrio, Sucumbios province, have been known to have local taxi drivers and citizens "working for them as informants regarding FARC guerrilla movements in the area".

On March, April and May 2018, the FARC dissidents attacked border towns with colombia, with they being; Mataje, San Lorenzo and Tobar Donoso. They also attacked Puerto Mestanza in January 2019

Present Day

In Spite of a distingct lack of fighting on either side of the Insurgency in Ecuador, the strife continues and likely will continue to do so for many years to come.