New presidente Iván Duque says the days are "numbered" for ex-FARC leader 'El Guacho' who officials believe has control of the Colombian provinces along the Colombia-Ecuador border.
El Guacho has to be "taken out," said Duque.
Since taking office, Duque has pledged to provide the resources needed to stop border-area trafficking of drugs and crush El Guacho's empire.
Duque's comments followed a meeting between him and Ecuador's presidente Moreno this past week, after which Duque assumed office and said he wants stronger border-security measures.
El Guacho's organization has taken credit for the deaths of several journalists and the retaliation-killing of an Ecuadorian couple in the southern border area in recent months. El Guacho's is believed to be largest crime organization in the state or department of Nariño, Colombia.
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Half a million Venezuelans have poured into Ecuador and Colombia this year, making it "the greatest migration" in the history of Latin America, according to a headline today at www.cuencahighlife.com .... Inflation, a cratering economy, violence and lack of access to food are major reasons for the exodus of Venezuelans.
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Ecuador's border area is under a state of emergency so that relief workers can flood the area to assist folks living in what officials desribe as "rough" conditions.
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The International Monetary fund estimates that inflation in Venezuela could reach 1-million percent this year.
-- sources for this post: The Guardian and the Cuenca Highlife website