A SERIES OF violent events in Ecuador in recent days has resulted in renewed international interest in the country’s affairs, but conflict has been brewing in the nation for some time.

President Daniel Noboa declared a 60-day state of emergency on Monday, after one of the country’s most powerful drug bosses, Jose Adolfo Macias, escaped from prison on Sunday.

A nationwide curfew from 11pm to 5am daily is currently in place, and soldiers are patrolling the streets in Quito, Guayaquil and other cities.

At least 10 people have been killed since Monday.

Macias, also known as Fito, is the current leader of the Los Choneros gang, one of the largest and oldest criminal groups in Ecuador. A manhunt is underway for Fito, who had been serving a 34-year sentence since 2011 for organised crime, drug trafficking and murder.

After the state of emergency was announced, a number of criminal gangs declared war on the government.

In recent days more than 100 prison guards have been taken hostage, and 10 people killed — eight in attacks near the port in the city of Guayaquil, and two police officers who were “viciously murdered by armed criminals” in the nearby town of Nobol, officials said.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is “very much alarmed” by the worsening security situation in the country, his spokesperson said today.

“The secretary-general is very much alarmed by the deteriorating situation in the country as well as its disruptive impact on the lives of Ecuadorans,” and Guterres “strongly condemns these criminal acts of violence,” Stephane Dujarric stated.

On Tuesday, Noboa (36) gave orders to “neutralise” gangs after a number of violent incidents including gunmen storming the studio of state-owned TC Television in Guayaquil and opening fire.

Hooded attackers fired gunshots during a live broadcast as a woman could be heard pleading: “Don’t shoot, please don’t shoot.”

The intruders forced terrified crew onto the ground and a person could be heard screaming as the studio lights went out but the broadcast continued.

One cameraman was shot in the leg, and another man’s arm was broken in the attack. Police entered the studio after about 30 minutes of chaos.

Ecuador’s former defence minister, Luis Hernandez, said the TV studio episode is unprecedented and reveals that organised crime groups perceive “the state’s weakness” and they could easily undertake actions “to terrorise the state and send it into a state of panic”.

Hernandez supported the president’s decree recognising an armed conflict and allowing for the use of lethal force. He added that Noboa should send a clear message to the population to not submit to fear and chaos.

Men lie face down on the ground, detained by police outside TC Television, yesterday. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Noboa, who only took office on 23 November 2023, has promised to eradicate violence through his so-called Phoenix Plan. He has called for the construction of two new maximum-security prisons and has proposed a referendum with tougher measures against crime.

Guayaquil, Ecuador’s main port city, is a major hub for shipping South American cocaine north, especially to the United States. Many tourists pass through the city when en route to the Galápagos Islands.

Travel advice 

The Department of Foreign Affairs is currently advising Irish citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands.

Any citizens already in Ecuador are advised to “exercise extreme caution”, limit their movements “as much as possible” and obey the curfew.

“The current security situation is volatile and uncertain. It is likely that there will be increased military and police presence around key public buildings, airports and on the streets, and there may also be restrictions around access to key tourist destinations,” a statement notes.

The DFA has advised against all travel within the 20km exclusion zone along the Ecuadorian border with Colombia, except for the official border-crossing town of Tulcan in Carchi province.

So, what has led to this situation? 

A popular tourist destination previously viewed as safer than some other countries in the region, Ecuador has seen violence explode in recent years.

The country is bordered by Colombia and Peru – both top cocaine exporters – and much of the violence is related to rival gangs with links to Colombian and Mexican cartels vying for control of the market.

Drugs, often hidden in containers transporting bananas or other goods, are often shipped from Guayaquil port, which is seen as having weaker controls than ports in neighbouring countries.

This has drawn in criminal gangs from Colombia, Mexico and Europe, upping the stakes for local gangs seeking to establish alliances and control of drug routes.

Prisoners stand on the roof of Turi jail where dozens of prison guards and police officers were kidnapped by the inmates in August 2023. AP / PA Images AP / PA Images / PA Images

The start of the recent wave of violence can be traced back to the death of Jorge Luis Zambrano three years ago. Zambrano, then-leader of the Los Choneros gang, was shot dead in December 2020.

Zambrani’s killing intensified disputes among inmates in Ecuadorian prisons as rival gang members fought over territory to control drug distribution.

According to authorities, some of these gangs have ties to Mexico’s Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels.

There were a series of deadly riots in Ecuadorian prisons throughout 2021. In February 2021, 79 inmates were killed in simultaneous attacks in jails across the country.

The deadliest riot that year happened at Litoral Penitentiary, located on the outskirts of Guayaquil, in September 2021.

Over 120 inmates were killed, and dozens others injured, during that particular riot at Litoral, the country’s largest prison.

Several prisoners were beheaded during the violence, one of the deadliest prison riots in Latin American history.

In total, close to 500 prisoners have been killed in the last three years. Guayaquil has also been hit by car bombs and shocking scenes of bodies hanging from bridges.

Violence within the prison’s walls has spread to the streets since then, with rampant kidnapping, murder, robbery and extortion that has made the country among the most violent in the region.

Last year was Ecuador’s bloodiest on record, with more than 7,600 murders – up from 4,600 in 2022.

Presidential election 

The violence was front and centre during the country’s presidential election in 2023.

Presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio speaking during a campaign event minutes before he was shot to death in August 2023. API via AP / PA Images API via AP / PA Images / PA Images

Outgoing president Guillermo Lasso declared a 60-day state of emergency last August in response to the killing of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio at a campaign rally in the capital, Quito.

Villavicencio was running on an anti-cartel and anti-corruption platform. He was shot on 10 August, less than two weeks before the election was due to take place.

His assassination was linked to Fito, the crime boss who escaped on Sunday.

Fito (44) is believed to have escaped just hours before police arrived to conduct an inspection of the high-security prison in Guayaquil where he was held.

This is his second prison escape — the last was in 2013 when he was recaptured after three months.

In an operation involving thousands of security forces, Fito was transferred to a maximum security prison last August following Villavicencio’s killing.

A week before his death, Villavicencio said he had received threats from Fito.

On Tuesday officials said the head of another criminal gang – Fabricio Colon Pico, who leads the Los Lobos – escaped since his arrest last Friday for alleged involvement in a separate plot to assassinate Ecuador’s attorney general.

Aside from Los Choneros (named after the Chongón-Colonche mountain range), the other major gangs in the country are Los Lobos (The Wolves) and Los Tiguerones (The Tigers).

Lasso came to power in 2021 and his efforts to control gangs – states of emergencies, military operations and curfews – failed. Civilians had hoped that his successor, Noboa, would have more success. However, this has not materialised.

Cesar Carrion, a researcher at the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences, said the main criminal organisations in Ecuador are “no longer fighting each other”, but instead the “common enemy” of the state.

Contains reporting from © AFP 2024 and Press Association