Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser in Ecuador: In the country of the “Narcotráficos”

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The visit from Germany needs an armed escort: There is a state of emergency in Ecuador, the third stop on Nancy Faeser's trip to South America

Photo:

Laurin Schmid

So it's not going to Guayaquil for Nancy Faeser.

Too dangerous.

The federal interior ministers had actually wanted to visit the port city on the Pacific, where armed gangsters stormed a TV studio during a broadcast at the beginning of January and took hostages.

However, on the advice of her security guards, the SPD politician decided not to visit the port through which tons of cocaine is smuggled from Colombia - also to Europe.

Faeser will stay in the capital Quito on Thursday, at least for a few hours.

It was the third stop on their South American trip, which focused on one topic in particular: the expansion of the cartels and the rapidly increasing quantities of drugs for the European market.

The Andean state of Ecuador is also an example of how quickly a loss of control can happen.

This is probably what Faeser wants to send as a message to Germany.

The really big test of strength

While the Federal Interior Minister's column drives towards the center, life in the capital is pulsating.

All shops are open, the bus stations are full, vendors sell fresh fruit and souvenirs.

A picture that seems peaceful.

But that's only one side.

Military men and police with submachine guns can be seen on the streets.

What has taken place in the country in the past few weeks is a major test of strength - with prison revolts, hostage-taking and fatal shots at a public prosecutor.

President Daniel Noboa has declared a state of emergency, which includes night curfews and has just been extended for another 30 days.

Naboa has publicly declared that the country is in an internal armed conflict - a formal act that entails special privileges for the military.

But they only apply temporarily – until April.

The situation has currently calmed down somewhat.

It is possible that the “Narcotráficos” – the drug gangs – are simply waiting until the military is off the streets again.

The Federal Criminal Police Office recommended that Faeser not stay overnight if she wanted to go to Ecuador at all.

In fact, it is also a kind of solidarity visit that is intended to support the president and government.

And a sort of reconnaissance mission.

Have the cartels completely taken over yet?

Or is there still hope for a trend reversal?

»We share a common goal«

The president has other priorities that day.

There is no time for Faeser in the 36-year-old political newcomer's schedule.

Naboa reacted to the recent bloody deeds with a tough course.

It is said that he is now visiting the violence hotspot of Guayaquil, where he is showing up with special police and army units.

They are images that are intended to demonstrate strength where the state has become weak.

Meanwhile, the visitor from Germany meets her counterpart Mónica Palencia.

“We will work together against drug trafficking,” says the Interior Minister.

They want to throw “everything into the balance” together to pursue the cartels: “We share a common goal.

«

Faeser would like to thank you for your kindness and your interest in more cooperation.

The Germans also have a responsibility to address the problems in Ecuador caused by the rampant drug trade.

“The consumers are in Europe,” says Faeser.

»Crime is global, and you have to fight it globally.«

In fact, the big question is which partners the governments in South America will have at their side in the future.

Faeser sees that Europeans also need to get more involved because it is not clear what will happen to the anti-drug war that the Americans have waged on the continent for decades.

The evening before at the reception at the German Embassy in Peru, residents of the US anti-drug agency DEA were among the guests.

But it could be that Americans will focus more on Colombia in the future, where most of the material for the US market currently comes from.

In the future, Germany could stand closer to the Peruvians, Brazilians and Ecuadorians when it comes to fighting the cartels.

On her trip, Faeser signs agreements on security cooperation.

In Ecuador, however, the goals are somewhat more modest.

The German Interior Minister and her host agree that a declaration of intent for more cooperation in the fight against drugs should be discussed together.

It couldn't be more vague.

Faeser announces that he will soon send a BKA liaison officer to Ecuador.

Criticism from Germany: “Minister’s PR stunt”

In Germany, the reaction to Faeser's anti-drug trip through South America was muted.

A senior public prosecutor who has been investigating organized crime for many years asks: "What should I do with additional liaison officers?"

This is a “PR stunt by the minister,” the man continues.

Nothing of this can be expected operationally: "Liaison officers are hardly relevant to my procedures; they only establish contacts with local authorities." Often there is already networking there anyway.

Oliver Huth, North Rhine-Westphalia state chairman of the Association of German Criminal Officers and Drug Investigators in the Düsseldorf LKA warns against exaggerated expectations of rapid changes after Faeser's anti-drug journey.

His demand: judicial legal assistance must be improved.

»That would really help us as police.

We would suddenly be able to exchange completely different data internationally much more quickly.

Unanswered questions remain for Huth.

He is "generally confused as to how one should work with the authorities in problematic countries like Colombia or Ecuador, i.e. with countries in which cartel bosses drive around in the company cars of top politicians."

It seems as if the Federal Minister of the Interior still has a lot of work to do to convince investigators and experts when she returns from South America.