Ecuador political murder prompts new Foreign Office travel advice

“British nationals are advised to avoid potential demonstrations, large gatherings and political gatherings,” said the Foreign Office.

The travel warning comes as presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was shot dead on Thursday as he was leaving a political rally in Quito. 

Villavicencio’s murder is the latest of a string of political murders to hit Ecuador, with the mayor of a major port city killed in late July. 

Over the past month, the country has been hit by a wave of unrest, mainly affecting prisons in Ecuador’s Manabi and Los Rios provinces as well as the city of Duran. 

President Guillermo Lasso initially declared a 60-day new state of emergency on 24 July following clashes between inmates at some of the country’s prisons, which have left 18 dead and 100 prison guards held hostage.