Ecuador in chaos and on the brink of civil war. Looting, prison riots, shootings and clashes with the police are reported across the country. The President of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, declared the state of “internal armed conflict” and started a “war against drug traffickers“. This decision was a response to the violence resulting from the escape from the maximum security prison in Guayaquil of the country's main drug trafficker, Adolfo Macias, known as “Fito”, boss of the Los Choneros drug trafficking cartel.
Furthermore, it was decreed state of emergency for 60 days and the immediate evacuation of Parliament and all public offices in Quito. All outpatient services, hospitalizations and scheduled surgeries in the country have also been suspended indefinitely. For President Noboa, this is now the first major security crisis less than two months after taking office.
Il first budget speaks of at least ten victims, including two law enforcement officers and three wounded in various armed attacks recorded in different areas of Guayaquil, the main center of the violence. In other parts of the city, robberies, looting and shootings occurred. Five hospitals were attacked, with a total of 29 buildings targeted during the escalation of violence in the area.
War on drug traffickers
In the decree concerning the "internal armed conflict", integrated with that of the state of emergency, President Noboa listed the presence of 22 groups of transnational organized crime on the national territory, defining them as "terrorist organizations and belligerent non-state actors". L'Article 3 of the decree orders "the immediate mobilization and intervention of the armed forces and the police on Ecuadorian territory to guarantee its sovereignty and integrity".
THEArticle 4 of the presidential decree orders the police to identify and neutralize the following criminal groups: Aguilas, AguilarKiller, AK47, Dark Knights, ChoneKiller, Choneros, Corvicheros, Cuartel de las Feas, Cubanos, Fatales, Gánster, Kater Piler, Lagartos, Latin Kings, Lobos, Los p .27, Los Tiburones, Mafia 18, Mafia Trébol , Patrones, R7 and Tiguerones.
The narcos raid public television
THEepisode the most disconcerting of this violence occurred yesterday in the port city of Guayaquil, the second most important center in the country, when some hooded and armed men they broke into the studio state television channel TC Television during a broadcast, taking journalists and technicians hostage. The broadcast was not interrupted and therefore showed live the assault punctuated by moments of panic, shots, cries of supplication from those present and death threats from the attackers armed with grenades and machine guns.
Un journalist sent a message via WhatsApp saying: “They have come to kill us. God forbid this to happen. The criminals are on the air." After half an hour of terror, fortunately the special police forces intervened, freeing the hostages and arresting the attackers.
Also in Guayaquil, a police station was hit by an attack and two security workers at a shopping center were killed by criminals because they prevented them from accessing the crowded premises.
Prison riots and shootings
Il first warning sign it was the escape from Guayaquil prison of Adolfo Macias, leader of Los Choneros, the largest drug trafficking gang in Ecuador. Known as “Fito,” Macias had been serving a 34-year sentence since 2011 for organized crime, drug trafficking and murder. The escape occurred on December 25 during a medical examination, and since then around 3.000 officers have been busy searching for him.
In the last few days, the situation in Ecuador has degenerated with explosions and riots in at least six prisons and the kidnapping of numerous police officers, including three in the coastal city of Machala and one in the capital Quito. Furthermore, the arrest of Fabricio Colon Pico, leader of Los Lobos, led to prison riots and protests in favor of the boss. The situation is so critical that sit-ins in support and blocking of roads have been recorded with signs asking not to make an attempt on Pico's life and to oppose his transfer to the maximum security prison in La Roca.
Chaos then ensued extended through the streets with looting of shopping malls and reports of criminal gangs trying to break into universities to take hostages.
President Daniel Noboa, in office since last November, has promised to fight crime and promote economic recoverya, but Ecuador continues to be afflicted by the crisis, above all due to the strategic position between Colombia and Peru, the main world producers of cocaine. And drug gangs continue to challenge the authorities.
In the north of the capital Quito, armed individuals shot at passing vehicles, causing the death of five people and the wounding of a student. In a spare parts warehouse nearby, an armed group killed three people.
USA: "deeply concerned, full support for Noboa"
The US State Department has expressed a "extreme concern” for the violence in the country and declaring full support for the work of President Noboa. The top US diplomat for Latin America, Brian nichols, said American officials will remain in close contact with Noboa's team in relation to recent violence and kidnappings in the South American country.
Latin American leaders also expressed solidarity with the president. The government of Peru decided to immediately send a Special Forces contingent of the police at the border to strengthen security. Meanwhile, China has announced the suspension of public operations of its embassy and all consulates in Ecuador.
The Ecuador crisis
Ecuador, once considered one of the most peaceful countries in Latin America, has been hit by a growing wave of violence, with at least 4.500 deaths from violent causes last year alone.
Trafficking gangs have even recruited children, while prisons have become command centers for traffickers, escaping the control of the police force. Organized crime has struck deals with powerful international cartels, including Mexican and Albanian ones. The United Nations Global Cocaine Report 2023 indicates a 35% increase in cocaine cultivation between the 2020 and the 2021.
