Violence erupted across Ecuador this week after a notorious gang leader disappeared from prison. Explosions, looting, gunfire and burning vehicles were reported, and there were riots in several prisons. On Tuesday, in the largest city, Guayaquil, armed men stormed a television studio during a live broadcast.
President Daniel Noboa declared a 60-day state of emergency, imposing a nationwide curfew and authorizing the military to patrol the streets and take control of prisons. Noboa also sent thousands of police officers and military personnel to search for the gang’s leader, Adolfo Macías.
Here’s what we know so far:
What’s the latest news?
On Tuesday, violence in Guayaquil had left at least eight people dead, Mayor Aquiles Álvarez said at a news conference. Shops, schools and government offices were closed and streets in Guayaquil and the capital, Quito, were clogged with traffic as workers tried to get home.
Authorities said another major gang leader had escaped from an Ecuadorian prison, along with other inmates. In a presidential decreeNoboa said there was an ongoing internal armed conflict and ordered the military to “neutralize” two dozen gangs, which he called terrorist organizations.
What happened to the TV station?
During a live newscast from TC Televisión in Guayaquil, several masked gunmen burst onto the set. They forced staff members to the ground, kicking and hitting them. Presenters and other staff were forced to appear on a video asking the president not to intervene.
One of the attackers was heard saying that he wanted to send a message about the consequences of “meddling with the mafia”. But the police intervened before he could connect a microphone to him.
The police later claimed to have arrested 13 people, confiscated weapons and explosives, etc all the people taken hostage were safe.
Who is Adolfo Macías?
Mr Macías, better known as “Fito”, is one of the most famous bosses in the country. He is the leader of Los Choneros, believed to be one of the first Ecuadorian gangs to forge ties with Mexican drug cartels.
He was found missing from his cell in a crowded Guayaquil prison on Sunday during a smuggling raid, where he was serving a 34-year sentence for drug trafficking and other crimes. He had already escaped from prison once, in 2013.
Like other gang leaders in Ecuador, Mr. Macías ran his criminal enterprise from behind bars. Some security experts believe that at least a quarter of the country’s prisons are controlled by criminal gangs.
The government had recently ordered the transfer of Mr. Macías and other high-profile detainees to a maximum-security facility. According to experts, this may have caused him to escape and led to the prison riots.
How powerful are the gangs in Ecuador?
Gang warfare has only begun to plague Ecuador, a country of 18 million people, in recent years. Over the past five years, foreign drug traffickers have joined forces with gangs like Los Choneros to build a powerful drug trafficking industry across the country, infiltrating the government, extorting money from businesses and killing Ecuadorians who try to seize them.
Fernando Villavicencio, a presidential candidate who was assassinated in August, said days before his death that he had received multiple threats from members of Los Choneros. He has spoken openly about the links between organized crime and government officials.
Mr Macías was moved to a maximum security wing after the assassination, but his lawyers successfully argued to have him returned to the cell from which he ran Los Choneros. Mr. Macías celebrated by releasing a music video.
Noboa, who won the election and took office in November, vowed to crack down on criminal gangs and restore security in Ecuador. “The time is over for drug trafficking convicts, hitmen and organized crime to dictate to the government what to do,” he said in a video statement Tuesday.