In brief
In Huaquillas, Ecuador, an armed attack on Monday night killed former mayor Ronald Farfan and city‑council candidate Cristhian Rugel, according to National Police. The shooting, which also killed a woman, comes amid a year‑long homicide surge in El Oro that has almost reached 1,000 killings. Authorities are investigating possible links to criminal groups.
On Monday night in Huaquillas, a city in Ecuador’s El Oro province, an armed attack killed former mayor Ronald Farfan and city‑council candidate Cristhian Rugel, according to local media reports cited by National Police.
The shootings took place in the Los Israelitas neighborhood while the candidates were at a political gathering with supporters, the police said.
The incident followed a spike in homicides this year, with El Oro recording almost 1,000 killings and about 50 % more than in the same period last year, according to official figures reported by local media.
Authorities are investigating motives, including possible threats and extortion by criminal groups, but have not yet ruled out other possibilities.
Personas desconocidas dispararon la noche del lunes al exalcalde Ronald Farfán, quien fue trasladado a un hospital donde posteriormente murió, según un reporte.
The AP article reported that Farfan was moved to a hospital and later died after the shooting.
Ecuadorians are set to vote on Nov. 29 for provincial prefects, vice‑prefects, mayors, city councilors, and rural parish board members, making the killings a critical blow to the local electoral process.
