President Daniel Noboa on Tuesday ordered the “neutralization” of criminal gangs. This announcement follows the burst of armed men onto the set of public television in the city of Guayaquil.
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The escalation of violence has hit Ecuador since Sunday. The government declared the country “state of internal armed conflict”, Tuesday January 9, on the third day of an unprecedented security crisis which left at least 10 dead, according to an initial report. The failure is bitter for Daniel Noboa, Ecuador’s youngest president, elected at the age of 35 in November 2023 and who promised to restore security in the country at the time of his inauguration.
Criminal gangs, most of them simple street gangs until a few years ago, have plagued the South American country since the territory established itself as the main point of export of cocaine produced in Peru and in Colombia. Once a haven of peace, the country is now ravaged by violence. But why is it so rampant? Franceinfo summarizes the last days of the crisis.
A dangerous gang leader still on the run after his escape on Sunday
Adolfo Macias, nicknamed “Fito”, escaped from Guayaquil prison on Sunday, where he had been serving a 34-year sentence since 2011 for organized crime, drug trafficking and murder. Public enemy number 1 in Ecuadorhe is the head of the powerful Choneros drug trafficking gang. He had already escaped from prison in 2013 for three months before being caught, reports France 24.
His escape triggered a cascade of mutinies and hostage-taking of guards in several penitentiary establishments in the country. In a statement released Wednesday, the prison administration reported that 139 members of its staff are currently still held hostage in five Ecuadorian prisons. Several videos have circulated on social networks, showing captives held at knifepoint and pleading with the government “to act with caution”.
State of emergency declared for 60 days
In response, President Daniel Noboa declared a state of emergency in the country on Monday. The army is thus authorized to participate for 60 days in maintaining order in the streets and prisons of the country, where a curfew is active between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. (local time). VSCertain rights are also restricted, such as the inviolability of the home or correspondence.
At the same time, the government communications secretary, Roberto Izurieta, announced that the security forces were “hard at work to find this extremely dangerous individual”, calling him “criminal with extremely dangerous characteristics, whose activities have characteristics of terrorism”. In addition, an investigation is opened against the two prison officials “who would have participated in the escape” of “Fito”, according to the prosecution.
Ecuador is sinking into an unprecedented security crisis
The President of Ecuador declared his country in a state of “internal armed conflict” and ordered the “neutralization” of criminal groups involved in drug trafficking, on the third day of an unprecedented security crisis which left at least 10 dead, according to an initial assessment. – (franceinfo)
A live hostage situation
A new resounding incident took place Tuesday afternoon on the set of public television in Guayaquil, the economic capital of the country. Armed men burst into the live stream, taking several journalists and channel employees hostage. Equipped with pistols, shotguns and grenades, the hooded attackers forced the victims to the ground. Under the gaze of the cameras, they then represented with their fingers the usual signs of recognition of street gangs.
Amid the gunfire, the broadcast of these images continued live for almost half an hour, despite the lights on the set going out. The police finally managed to gain access inside. They managed to free the hostages and arrest 13 attackers, according to the newspaper El País. At present, the official report does not report any deaths or injuries.
The country in a state of “internal armed conflict”
In a decree signed Tuesday, the president declared the country in a state of “internal armed conflict” and ordered the “neutralization” criminal groups involved in drug trafficking. He provided a precise list, made up of 22 names. The government blames this escalation on its recent attempts to restore security: “Today’s events show that the actions and decisions of the government greatly affect criminal structures, and that in response, they (commit) a wave of violence in order to frighten the population”declared Admiral Jaime Vela, head of the joint command, after a meeting with Daniel Noboa.
On Tuesday evening, the Ecuadorian Ministry of Education also imposed the temporary closure of all schools in the country, at least until Friday. Some cities have taken additional measures. In the capital, Quito, stores and shopping centers have closed. Hotel establishments are also locked in the large port of Guayaquil.
Border Peru also in state of emergency
The scale of this crisis is such that it is gradually transcending borders: neighboring Peru announced Tuesday evening that it had triggered a state of emergency in all of Ecuador’s border regions. China, for its part, interrupted the consular activities of its embassy there on Wednesday as well as those of its consulate. “The reopening to the public will be announced in due course”said the embassy in a press release in Spanish, published on the Chinese social network WeChat.
For his part, the head of American diplomacy for Latin America, Brian Nichols, said the United States “extremely concerned about the violence” and be “in close contact with President (Daniel) Noboa and the Ecuadorian government (…) ready to provide assistance”. Brazil, Chile and Colombia also expressed their support for Ecuador.