Covenant News

UPDATE: Sense of Calm Returns to Ecuador

QUITO, ECUADOR (January 27, 2000) - All seems quiet in Ecuador following the military coup that overthrew President Jamil Mahua last weekend , according to one Covenant missionary.

Dale Engen reports all roads in the nation are again open following anti-government protests by indigenous peoples that blocked major highways for a time. New President Gustavo Noboa promised an increase in the minimum wage, which had decreased significantly as the economic situation deteriorated in recent months, Engen said, describing this development as "good news" for a nation with more than half of its 12 million people living in poverty.

Noboa, formerly vice president, was named Ecuador's sixth president in five years shortly after Mahua was overthrown Friday, as the military relented to international pressure to maintain a sense of governmental stability.

By Sunday, the country's calm was reflected in the ability to carry out a province-wide referendum in Guayas, calling for a decision to create an autonomous, decentralized government. According to Engen, local newspapers are speculating what will happen to military personnel who became part of the popular junta during the coup attempt last weekend.

David Kelly, shown here at the dedication of the Ted Kelly Center (third from left), reports none of the Covenant missionary staff teams are in danger. However, a few deaths related to the upheaval have been reported and the crime level appears to be increasing, Kelly said. He attributes the unrest to a failure to address fundamental economic issues in the country, which is suffering its worst depression since the 1930s.

Last week, the government called for a 'dollarizing' of the economy – converting the national economy to a U.S. dollar-based currency - to address the nation's banking crisis. Noboa on unday said he will move ahead with Mahua's plan to open up Ecuador's oil, electricity and telecommunications sectors to private investment.

Kelly also reports that with inflation up 160 percent over the past year and increased unemployment, it is difficult for local churches and church-sponsored schools to meet their financial obligations to staff members.

The recent acquisition of land for a new Covenant Bible College extension in Ecuador has not been affected by recent events, Covenant News Service has been told. "We're proceeding ahead as planned at this point," said Todd Slechta, acting director at CBC in Canada who will become CBC-Ecuador's executive director on May 1. "The word from the ground teams at the Department of World Mission is that the (political) transition took place peacefully," Slechta said.

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