Ecuador: Army and Police Exchange Gunfire
October 1st, 2010Via: BBC:
Soldiers in Ecuador have rescued President Rafael Correa from a police hospital after a day of protests by security forces angry at benefit cuts.
Mr Correa was rescued after soldiers opened fired on dissident police.
Moments after being freed he appeared on the balcony of Quito’s presidential palace and spoke to thousands of cheering supporters.
He thanked the crowds and said he had just lived through the saddest day of his government.
The violence came after dark on a day of unrest in Ecuador that the president and his supporters said amounted to an an attempted coup.
Mr Correa had been holed up in the police hospital, where he was treated after being hit by tear gas in a confrontation.
Hundreds of police, angry over a law that would cut their benefits, appeared to have prevented him from leaving the clinic.
Under cover of darkness Mr Correa was reportedly smuggled out of the hospital in a wheelchair even as a gunbattle between troops and police was under way.
Unrest had been reported across Ecuador on Thursday amid anger at a new law cutting benefits for public servants.
I was surprised at initial reports of the military standing by while the police took violent action. Ecuador has a long history of a professional military that sees itself as being responsible for protecting the people and maintaining order, not running the country or being a political force. In cases of dire necessity, they leave the barracks, restore order, then go back to their barracks.
I know, I know — this is a hopelessly naive view on my part, right? Well, bear in mind: it’s *very* anomalous for a Latin America military. Ecuador is unusual, and I’ve never done much research to figure out exactly why, but I’m sure it’s an interesting story.
Anyway, later reports suggesting the military is acting to protect President Correa seem more consistent with the military’s tradition as a stabilizng force, which has been a major factor in the country’s relative peace and security in the region (compared to, say, its Andean neighbor to the north, Colombia).