ASSESSMENTS

Ecuador's Raid on the Mexican Embassy Risks Backfiring on Its President

Apr 8, 2024 | 22:11 GMT

Police guard stand outside the Mexican embassy in Quito, Ecuador, on April 8, 2024.
Police guard stand outside the Mexican embassy in Quito, Ecuador, on April 8, 2024.

(RODRIGO BUENDIA/AFP via Getty Images)

Ecuador's raid on the Mexican embassy will increase tensions between the two countries, harm Ecuador's international reputation, create domestic political instability, increase policy uncertainty, and further destabilize Ecuador's security situation. Late in the evening on April 5, Ecuadorian police officers and military members raided the Mexican embassy in the capital Quito and arrested former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas, who had taken refuge in the embassy since December to avoid arrest after being indicted on corruption charges. The raid occurred hours after the Mexican government under President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador formally granted Glas asylum and requested that the Ecuadorian government give him safe passage to leave the country. According to Ecuador's foreign ministry, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa justified the raid by claiming that Glas was an ''imminent flight risk,'' and also argued that it was not legal to grant asylum to people convicted of crimes. In response to the...

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