CONFUSION REIGNING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26556, 3 September 1947, Page 5

CONFUSION REIGNING

COUNTER-REVOLT IN ECUADOR

QUITO (Ecuador!, Sept. 1. Junior army officers to-da.y seized control of Guayaquil, Ecuador's biggest city and chief seaport, in a spreading counter-revolt against Colonel Carlos Mancheno, new dictator President, who himself took power from the Constitutional Government nine days ago. The garrison at Tulcan seized that city, aiso the army air base near the Colombian frontier, and sent planes to drop leaflets over Quito, the capital, rejecting Mancheno's Government. The situation was confused throughout the provinces as the counter revolt spread. In the first hours the rebels seized Ria Bamba. Ecuador’s fourth city, and the towns of Ambato and Guaranda. Both the Government and the rebels claimed a victory in the first real clash at Ambato, which is on the Quito-Guayaquil railway, 60 miles south of ' the capital. Mancheno's forces claimed that they made contact .with the rebels at Yambo. near Ambato. and defeated them in skirmishes. They then entered Ambato. The rebels, however, said that they won. which would mean they have possession of the main northsouth railway at a keypoint midway between Quito and Guayaquil. A communique issued by junior officers who took control of Guayaquil said they would support President Jose Maria Valasco Imbarra whom Mancheno exiled on August 23. Senior officers were disarmed.