Analysis
Ecuador under fire after raid on Mexican embassy
Unanimously condemned in Latin America, did Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa take a calculated risk by ordering a police intrusion inside the Mexican embassy in Quito or was he a victim of his extremism? before the referendum on April 21?
Around fifty people demonstrated on Saturday April 6 in front of the Ecuadorian embassy in Mexico City, shouting “fascist”. REUTERS - Luis Cortes
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At the diplomatic and international level, the results are clearly negative for Quito, explains our correspondent in
Ecuador
,
Éric Samson
. From the United Nations to the Organization of American States (OAS), all countries condemn Ecuador's violation of the Vienna Convention which establishes the inviolability of embassies, after
the irruption of police into the Mexican embassy in Quito
to arrest the former Ecuadorian vice-president accused of corruption Jorge Glas, who had taken refuge there.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador denounced a “
flagrant violation of international law and the sovereignty of Mexico
”, and said he intended to take the case to the International Court of Justice, reports AFP. But in addition to Mexico, Nicaragua also severed diplomatic relations with Quito. Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia... all nearby countries that could help Ecuador in its war against the cartels have condemned President Noboa's decision.
The departure of Mexican embassy and consulate staff will also make it more difficult for Ecuadorians to travel to Mexico and vice versa, issue visas and obtain legal assistance. It is not yet clear whether trade agreements and cooperation treaties will be called into question.
Harmful
For political scientist Gaspar Estrada, executive director of the Latin America and Caribbean Political Observatory (OPALC) at Sciences Po Paris,
“
the Ecuadorian reaction is totally disproportionate
” and “
will cause it harm
”. He points out that even hard-right governments, like the Argentine government of Javier Milei, condemn this action. “
From the moment the Vienna Convention is broken, when the question of diplomatic immunity is called into question, the entire system of international relations is in fact undermined.
»
So why take this risk? No doubt to try to guarantee the success of the referendum scheduled for April 21, which proposes toughening legislation against delinquency and authorizing the extradition of traffickers. President Noboa has made it a pillar of his anti-gang policy with the ongoing militarization of the conflict and the construction of new high-security prisons. A positive vote would also be an important step on the path to possible re-election, which Daniel Noboa does not hide his desire for. Showing yourself as a strong man who does not hesitate to take risks to avoid impunity, in this case of former Vice President Jorge Glass, is clearly a result worth getting angry with the world.
According to Gaspar Estrada, Ecuador will in any case have to face “
diplomatic isolation in the coming weeks
”.
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