QUITO: Following the declaration of war between the government and drug cartels, which left the populace terrified, hundreds of soldiers patrolled nearly deserted streets in Ecuador’s capital on Wednesday.
After years of increasing dominance by international cartels using its ports to transport cocaine to the US and Europe, the little South American nation has found itself in a predicament.
Tuesday, after gunmen broke into a TV studio and started shooting, and after bandits threatened to randomly execute both security personnel and citizens, President Daniel Noboa, 36, issued orders to “neutralize” criminal organizations.
He declared the nation to be in a state of “internal armed conflict” less than two months after taking office.
Following the Sunday jail escape of one of Ecuador’s most powerful narco leaders, Noboa declared a state of emergency, which prompted the crime gangs to declare war on the government as well.
Eight of the deaths in the spate of gang-related attacks that have been attributed to them occurred in Guayaquil, while two more were “viciously murdered by armed criminals” in the nearby town of Nobol, according to authorities on Tuesday.
According to the SNAI prisons administration, riots broke out in many jails where over a hundred guards and administrative employees are being held captive.
“I’m scared, you have to be careful and look everywhere because if you take this bus, you never know what might happen,” a 68-year-old woman in Quito told AFP, expressing her worry.
Tuesday saw balaclava-wearing assailants invade a state-owned TV station in the port city of Guayaquil, Ecuador. They fired firearms and briefly held several journalists and staff members hostage in dramatic events that were aired live until police arrived.
A number of police officers were also abducted by gangsters, and one of them was made to read a statement meant for Noboa at gunpoint.
“You issued an emergency declaration. The obviously frightened officer read, “We declare police, civilians, and soldiers to be the spoils of war.”
The statement further said that anyone discovered after 11:00 p.m. on the street “will be executed.”
International alarm has been raised by the surge in violence.
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According to his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is “extremely alarmed by the deteriorating situation in the country as well as its disruptive impact on the lives of Ecuadorans.”
Josep Borrell, the head of EU foreign policy, called the gang activity a “direct attack on democracy and the rule of law.”
The senior US ambassador for Latin America, Brian Nichols, stated that the violence and kidnappings had Washington “extremely concerned” and promised to “remain in close contact” and offer help to Noboa’s team.
Ecuador’s border was declared under state of emergency by Peru.
On Wednesday, the Chinese consulates and embassy in Ecuador declared the suspension of public services.
Russia and France both cautioned their citizens against visiting Ecuador.
Geography and corruption are among the reasons that the once tranquil country has transformed into a center of global organized crime.
Ecuador borders the world’s two main cocaine producers, Colombia and Peru.
The Guayaquil port, from which the majority of drugs are exported worldwide—often in the form of legal shipments by front firms or in containers containing bananas—is thought to have laxer regulations.
Due to this, international mafia from Europe, Mexico, and Colombia have joined forces with local gangs to wage bloody warfare for control of profitable drug routes.
The majority of the violence has been focused in prisons, where since February 2021, fights between prisoners have resulted in over 460 deaths, many of them from beheadings or burnings.
Between 2018 and 2022, the murder rate in the nation doubled, and 220 tons of drugs were captured last year, a record.
According to Noboa, he is focusing on 22 criminal organizations, the most potent being Los Lobos, Los Choneros, and Tiguerones.
Prior to his announced escape on Monday, Jose Adolfo Macias, also known as “Fito,” had been running Los Chonero from his Guayaquil jail cell for the previous twelve years.
