Ecuador deports more than 600 inmates as Colombia cries foul

BOGOTA: Colombian authorities said that Ecuador had deported about 600 Colombian prisoners via a land border crossing, after Bogota protested the action came without prior agreement. 'In the morning, 603 people arrived, 60 women and 543 men, and we completed the reception of them' at the Rumichaca border crossing in Carchi province, Colombia's acting foreign minister Rosa Villavicencio said. Authorities on both sides of the border had previously reported conflicting figures for the number of prisoners deported.
The inmates, wearing orange uniforms, waited in line to reenter their home country under the watchful eye of Ecuadoran police and military personnel. Early in the day, some in shorts and t-shirts did exercises while waiting for their turn to cross the border in the chilly Andean air, saying 'We want to cross, we want to cross.' On Friday, the government in Bogota lodged a formal complaint with Quito, saying such a move without prior agreement was a violation of international law and an 'unfriendly gesture.'
Ecuador's foreign ministry said on Saturday that Bogota was told about the plan on July 8. The mayor of the border town of Ipiales, Amilcar Pantoja, told the media on Friday that prisoners without pending legal cases in Colombia would be released. Drug trafficking gangs operating in Ecuador — some involving Colombian criminals — have turned the country into one of the most violent in Latin America. The homicide rate has jumped from six per 100,000 people in 2018 to 38 in 2024, among the highest in the region. — AFP