Ecuador’s head of state has commanded the neutralization of criminal factions following a sequence of unrest culminating in an assault on a live television studio.
Masked assailants forcibly entered the live studio of the public television channel TC during a broadcast, compelling the staff to the ground.
Subsequent to the assault, which resulted in injuries to two personnel, law enforcement apprehended 13 individuals.
Since the inception of a 60-day state of emergency in Ecuador on Monday, at least 10 individuals have lost their lives.
The emergency was declared subsequent to the mysterious disappearance of a notorious gang leader, Adolfo Macías Villamar, also known as Fito, from a prison cell in the city of Guayaquil. It remains uncertain whether the incident at the TV studio is connected to Fito’s disappearance.
On Tuesday, President Noboa asserted the existence of an “internal armed conflict” in the country and announced the mobilization of armed forces for “military operations to neutralize” transnational organized crime, terrorist entities, and belligerent non-state actors.
In a bid to prevent potential spillage of instability, Peru has promptly dispatched a police force to its border.
The United States has condemned the audacious attacks in Ecuador, expressing readiness to coordinate closely with President Daniel Noboa’s government and extend assistance.
Ecuador, a major exporter of bananas, oil, coffee, cocoa, shrimps, and fish products, has witnessed a surge in violence attributed to conflicts between foreign and local drug cartels vying for control over cocaine routes to the US and Europe.
During the assault at the TV station, a gunman brandished a pump-action shotgun, threatening captives, while a woman pleaded to avoid violence. The assailants attempted to breach the studio, prompting distress signals from the studio staff.
In the aftermath of the arrests, the police affirmed that the perpetrators would face consequences for their “terrorist acts.”
The state of emergency declared by President Noboa responds to recent prison riots, escapes, and violent incidents attributed to criminal factions. The decree lists the Choneros gang, along with 21 others.
The emergency builds upon the nightly curfew imposed on Monday to curb violence following Fito’s escape. Security forces are striving to restore order in at least six jails where riots erupted on Monday.
Guayaquil witnessed eight fatalities and three injuries in gang-related attacks on Tuesday, with two police officers killed in the nearby town of Nobol.
In Riobamba, nearly 40 inmates, including a convicted drug lord, broke out of a prison.
Reports of seven kidnapped police officers surfaced, accompanied by a video in which the officers were coerced to read a statement, declaring a retaliatory response to the state of emergency.
Police have issued an evacuation order for the government compound in Quito, citing security concerns.
Residents describe cities in chaos, with heightened nervousness and increased traffic due to the security situation.
The unprecedented attack on a television station has left citizens shocked, raising concerns about the overall security situation in the country.
In recent years, Ecuador’s prisons have grappled with violent feuds between rival gangs, resulting in numerous inmate massacres. The Choneros, a formidable prison gang, is implicated in many of the deadly prison conflicts that have plagued Ecuador’s penitentiaries.