According to this list, this South American nation occupies this category with a score of eight, tying with other states such as Guatemala, Mali, Nigeria, South Africa and Yemen.

The report denounced that, in the case of Ecuador, many people fleeing the country cite “vaccinators” or extortionists as one of the main reasons for their decision to leave.

They also describe that this problem threatens normal living in certain territories, and that criminals have become increasingly bold and violent, closing main roads to rob buses or collect tolls, murdering customers and local business owners.

For Gitoc, the national government and law enforcement have done little to address this pressing problem, as extortion-related murders have become commonplace.

Some 124 cases of kidnapping and extortion have been registered in Ecuador in 2023, of which 117 have been solved and seven recent ones are still pending resolution.

According to the head of the Anti-Kidnapping and Extortion Unit (Unase), Hector Franco, the Ecuadorian Coast region is the most affected by these crimes, because most of the criminal organizations, dedicated to drug trafficking, have been dismantled and therefore criminals seek other forms of financing, he said in statements to Radio Pichincha.

Ecuador is going through a crisis of insecurity and violence unprecedented in its history, where the number of kidnappings and other crimes are becoming more frequent, while citizens are demanding urgent action from the government to curb the crisis.

From January to September 2023 alone, the Anti-Kidnapping and Extortion Unit quantified 67 such cases, which represents an increase of 347 percent compared to 2022.

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