The crisis in Ecuador reached unprecedented levels on Tuesday after heavily armed gang members stormed a television station in the city of Guayaquil and interrupted a live broadcast. The presenters were briefly held hostage and special units were deployed to arrest the gang members. At least thirteen people have been arrested.
The storming caused dramatic images: the gang members, wearing balaclavas, automatic weapons and sticks of dynamite, forced attendees in the television studio to lie on the ground, while shouting and gunshots could be heard in the background.
In response to the storm, Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa declared 22 drug gangs in the country terrorist organizations and deployed the army to “neutralize” these groups. There is a curfew across the country, and all schools will remain closed for the rest of the week.
It was also very restless elsewhere in Ecuador on Tuesday. A total of seven police officers were kidnapped in three locations, and explosions were reportedly reported in several cities. It is unclear who is behind the wave of violence in Ecuador, but many point to the escape of Ecuadorian drug criminal José Adolfo Macías Villamar, or Fito, who disappeared from his cell on Monday night.
State of emergency after escape of gang leader
After his escape, Noboa declared a state of emergency and thousands of soldiers were deployed to capture Fito, considered the leader of the Ecuadorian gang Los Choneros. The gang, which has ties to Colombian and Mexican cartels, is one of the most violent groups in Ecuador, with influence in the South American country's prisons. Escaped gang leader Fito is also said to have been involved in the murder of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in the run-up to last year's elections.
Noboa, who surprisingly won the presidential elections in November, promised to crack down on drug violence during his presidential campaign. Ecuador has been struggling with a growing problem of violence by drug gangs for several years: more than 7,800 murders were committed in the country last year, and a record amount of 220 tons of drugs were seized.
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