Ecuadorian President Declares 'Internal Armed Conflict' After Gangs Go on Violent Spree

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa declared an "internal armed conflict" on Tuesday, after armed gangs went on a violent spree that included taking over a TV station, a university and different prisons.

The decree identifies several groups as "terrorist organizations and non-state belligerent actors" and orders armed forces "execute military operations to neutralize the groups."

Images of violence have already made waves around the world, especially those from the live broadcast of Tc Television, where hooded gang members rounded up workers as the cameras kept rolling.

"This is so you know not to mess with gangs," said one of the members, all of whom had their faces covered. An anchor was later forced to ask police in the building to leave. The feed is not active anymore, but local outlets reported that a journalist was injured.

Ecuadorian police said that it was evacuating workers from the TV station and was working to "reestablish order."

The events are taking place a day after Noboa declared the state of emergency following the escape of one of the country's most notorious criminals from prison. The measure suspends citizen's rights, imposes a nightly curfew, and permits authorities to mobilize the military internally.

Noboa had also announced last week that the country needed to impose tighter security measures, noting that he had submitted a list of draft questions for a referendum in a letter to the Constitutional Court.

On January 7, Jose Adolfo Macias, the leader of Ecuadorian drug cartel Los Choneros, was reported missing from the prison.

General Cesar Zapata, the national commander of police, said at a press conference that the armed forces of Ecuador already launched an operation to find the country's most-wanted prisoner, who escaped the Guayaquil prison, Reuters reported.

The Los Choneros drug cartel has been linked to extortion, murder and drug trafficking, alongside controlling the main prisons of Ecuador. He escaped right before being transferred to a higher security prison.

"We're grateful for the courage and commitment of the law enforcement forces, who, in an operation involving more than 3,000 people, have intervened in the prison in search of the most-wanted prisoner," presidential spokesman Roberto Izurieta said at the press conference.

Rival gangs often clash with each other, as Ecuador's prisons are overcrowded. According to official numbers, more than 400 inmates died in the last three years.

The Latin American country has witnessed a surge in violence and crime in the last couple of years. According to a report, Ecuador's crime rate was 5.84% in 2017, which rose to 6.84% in 2018. It doubled in 2020 to 14.02%.