QUITO, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Lenin Moreno, the president of Ecuador, on Tuesday vowed to eradicate violence along the Colombian border.
He made the remarks after a spate of attacks and kidnappings has left at least seven people dead.
"We will not rest until they are eradicated ... Trust in your government. We are working firmly to eradicate this scourge that makes our country mourn," he said during the opening of a policy community center in Quito.
The president said that Ecuador is facing new security challenges, with "new enemies...appearing on the horizon."
"We want to stabilize our country and they want to destabilize it, deprive us of our peace ... Ecuador has been historically an island of peace and we will remain that way," said Moreno.
He said that, since Jan. 27, areas along the Colombian border have seen a wave of terrorist attacks, perpetrated by illegal armed groups, such as the Oliver Sinisterra Front.
The dissident group, which broke away from Colombia's Revolutionary Armed Force (FARC) after it signed a peace deal with the government, is headed by Walter Patricio Arizala, also known as "Guacho."
The group has claimed responsibility for a wave of attacks, which have killed four soldiers and a press team of three staff from the El Comercio daily.
The most recent kidnapping of a couple on April 17 has not been claimed and their whereabouts are unknown.
Since last week, Ecuador and Colombia have been carrying out coordinated actions to capture "Gaucho."
