Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa ordered drug trafficking gangs in the country to be “neutralized” Tuesday amid a nationwide wave of gang-related violence which resulted in masked gunmen taking over a TV station in the country’s largest city Guayaquil.
The masked gunmen burst into TC Television’s studio during a live broadcast and took the station’s anchors and other staff hostage before engaging in a firefight with police.
Police said they arrested 13 men from the TV station, rescued the hostages and recovered “weapons, explosives and other evidence.”
The takeover at the TV station was part of a wider wave of violence that has engulfed Ecuador as the national government attempts to clamp down on drug-related violence.
Explosions and gunfire were reported all across the country on Tuesday along with riots and breakouts and some prisons, authorities said.
According to Reuters, at least seven police officers were reported kidnapped across the country and at least 139 prison guards and other jail staff are also being held hostage.
Two major drug trafficking gang leaders, Adolfo Macías of the Los Choneros gang and Fabricio Colón Pico of the Los Lobos gang, have reportedly escaped from prison in the past two days.
Macias’ escape on Monday prompted Noboa to impose a 60-day state of emergency across the country. Under this emergency, some of the citizens’ rights are suspended, a nationwide night-time curfew is in effect and the military is allowed to patrol the streets and take control of prisons. Noboa on Tuesday designated the drug gangs as “terrorist organizations and belligerent non-state actors,” effectively allowing the military to treat them as combatants.
Macias’, who had been controlling his gang’s operations from his prison cell for several years, was directly named by Noboa last month when he outlined his plans to tackle drug gangs in the country. Noboa said he intended to cut Macias’ access to power outlets and internet routers from his prison cell, before the gang leader’s escape.
Noboa, a U.S.-born centrist and businessman, came to power in November with a promise to tackle drug-related violence in the country and create jobs. The gang violence made its mark on the presidential election in August after presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, an outspoken opponent of the drug gangs, was assassinated after a campaign rally in the national capital Quito. The once-peaceful Latin American country has seen a surge in violence over the past few years as drug cartels have expanded their presence in the country. Ecuador’s coastal cities have emerged as popular drug trafficking routes for both domestic gangs and international cartels. According to the New York Times, cartels from Mexico to Albania have set up shop in Ecuador in recent years—leading to an increase in violence.
In a statement on X, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Brian A. Nichols, said: “Extremely concerned by today’s violence & kidnappings in Ecuador. The United States stands with the people of Ecuador. We are ready to provide assistance to the Ecuadorian government and will remain in close contact with President Daniel Noboa’s team regarding our support.”
How a Peaceful Country Became a Gold Rush State for Drug Cartels (New York Times)
