Gunshots live on television, prison guards and policemen taken hostage, schools and shops closed: according to its president, Daniel NoboaEcuador has sunk into a “internal armed conflict” with drug trafficking gangs, which has already caused at least 10 deaths.
In a decree issued yesterday, the third day of a security crisis unprecedentedly, President Noboa ordered “the mobilization and intervention of the armed forces and the national police” to “ensure national sovereignty and integrity against organized crime, terrorist organizations and non-state belligerents”. After declaring it state of emergencyfollowing the escape of a feared gang leader, Noboa ordered the “neutralisation” of criminal gangs, of which he provided an exhaustive list, underlining the need for the armed forces to act “with respect for human rights”.
Ecuador, with a population of 18 million and once a haven of peace, is ravaged by violence after becoming the main export point for cocaine produced in neighboring Peru and Colombia. Street murders increased by 800% between 2018 and 2023, from 6 to 46 per 100,000 inhabitants. In 2023, 7,800 murders were recorded and 220 tons of drugs were seized.
Adolfo Macias, alias “Fito”, leader of the Choneros – a gang of around 8,000 men according to experts – escaped from prison in Guayaquil (southwest) on Sunday 7 January. On Tuesday the 9th he also escaped Fabricio Colon Picoleader of Los Lobos, another powerful gang.
International reactions
Already on Sunday evening, the Peru announced that it had declared a state of emergency along more than 1,400 km of the border with Ecuador and that it had intensified surveillance.
Today, the France advised its citizens to “postpone” trips to Ecuador, known for the Galapagos Islands, while the Chinese has suspended public visits to its embassy and consulate in Ecuador. As stated by Mao Ning, spokesperson for Chinese diplomacy, the security situation in Ecuador is being “assessed”, adding that Beijing “supports” the efforts of the local authorities to restore order.
The Russia asked its citizens to “take into account the instability of the situation when considering travel to Ecuador” and to “avoid going to public places”. Moscow has confidence in the Ecuadorian authorities to restore law and order “by their own means, without external interference”, added Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
The United States they are “extremely concerned about the violence” and “ready to provide assistance,” said Brian Nichols, head of US diplomacy for Latin America. Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Peru expressed their support for Ecuador.
Armed raid and hostages
On Tuesday 9 January, some armed men broke into the set of a public television station in Guayaquil, briefly taking hostages journalists and staff. From the first reports, it seems that no one was killed or injured in the raid, while thirteen attackers were arrested. “These are extremely difficult days,” he admitted Roberto Izurietapresidential communications secretary, while the executive branch made “the important decision to fight these terrorist threats head on.”
After the escape of “Fito”, a series of mutinies and hostage taking by the guards has hit several prisons: as described by some videos posted on social media, which show prisoners threatened by masked inmates armed with knives. Subsequent videos also show the execution of at least two guards, by shooting and hanging. The Prison Administration (SNAI) reported that 139 members of its staff are still held hostage in five prisons across the country.
The state of emergency
Lo state of emergency declared on Monday 8 January by Noboa – elected in November with the promise of restoring security – it extends to the whole country for 60 days. The army is authorized to maintain order in the streets (with a night curfew) and in prisons. However, numerous incidents were reported, including the abduction of seven police officers.
In the port city of Guayaquil, where criminal groups are all-powerful, the violence left eight dead and three injured, according to the police chief. Two policemen were also “ferociously killed by armed criminals” in Nobol, near Guayaquil. Images of attacks with Molotov cocktails, cars set on fire, random shootings at police officers, scenes of panic are circulating on social media, suggesting that chaos is gradually taking hold in several locations.
In response, to Guayaquil, some hotels and restaurants have been closed and the army is patrolling the streets. Even in the capital, Quito, gripped by fear, shops and shopping centers closed early. Furthermore, the Ministry of Education also ordered the closure of all schools in the country until Friday.
The criminals “have committed bloody acts unprecedented in the history of the country (…) but this attempt will fail,” declared the admiral Jaime Velahead of the Joint Command of the Armed Forces, after a Security Council meeting in Quito, under the aegis of the president.
edited by Par Paola Lopez
© Agence France-Presse