When Ecuador’s young President Daniel Noboa was elected in mid-October, He posted a photo of himself online: “This is the beginning of a new Ecuador”. But the images that this new Ecuador shows of itself are bleak: gang violence is escalating in the country of 18 million people on the equator.
On Monday, Noboa declared a 60-day state of emergency and declared several criminal gangs terrorist organizations. But on Tuesday, gunmen stormed a live broadcast on the Ecuadorian television station TC. Shots and screams could be heard on the broadcast until special police units brought the station back under control. And on Thursday, the Department of Corrections said 178 correctional officers were currently being held hostage following riots in several prisons across the country. Ecuador is in an “internal armed conflict,” Noboa said on Tuesday.
The latest wave of violence began with the prison riots: Last Sunday, several media outlets reported the escape of José Adolfo Macías Villamar, known as “Fito,” from a high-security prison in Guayaquíl. Fito is the head of the notorious Choneros gang, which is active in drug and human trafficking. He is considered one of Ecuador’s most famous gangsters.
Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa has only been in office since November. And he is already in the middle of a serious crisis.
(Photo: Reuters)
Fito served a 34-year prison sentence for various crimes, including several homicides. At the same time as his new outbreak last weekend, violence also escalated in other prisons in the country. The chaotic conditions in the prisons were the reason why Noboa declared a state of emergency on Monday.
The security situation in Ecuador has continued to deteriorate, especially in the last three years. Until a few years ago, the country was considered peaceful, but then the murder rate skyrocketed to around 46.5 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants – one of the highest in South America. The high crime rate is also linked to drug trafficking: Ecuador is considered an important hub for this. The gangs there are closely linked to those in Mexico and Colombia, and the country is a stopover for cocaine on the way to the USA or Europe.
Floating prisons for dangerous prisoners
Politicians also live dangerous lives in Ecuador. Last August, just days before the presidential election, a candidate known as a critic of organized crime was murdered in the streets. At that time too, the government declared a state of emergency. The new President Noboa celebrated his election victory in October wearing a bulletproof vest. The crime has not been solved to this day.
The gangs have spread their threads into the authorities, state institutions and the security apparatus. The past few days have shown that their power extends even into prisons. In December, the Attorney General announced “Operation Cancer”, which she said was the largest anti-corruption and drug trafficking operation in the country’s history. About 30 people have been arrested since then, including judges, prosecutors, police and lawyers.
Noboa has only been in office since the end of November and hasn’t had much time to counter the violence. The 36-year-old, who comes from one of the richest families in South America, has no shortage of ideas: For example, he wants to isolate particularly dangerous prisoners in floating prisons so that they don’t gain land in the first place. In order to gain broad support for his sometimes drastic plans, he announced a referendum last week. The escalating violence may also be a reaction to his drastic suggestions.
The USA and Argentina want to help
As a result of the recent unrest, Noboa also wants to fight the gangs with military means: “I have ordered the armed forces to carry out military operations to neutralize these groups,” he said. The military should also restore order in the prisons and on the streets. The Interior Ministry also announced that foreigners who want to enter Ecuador from Peru or Colombia will in future have to present an extract from their criminal records.
Meanwhile, other countries have offered their support to Noboa. He has already accepted help from the USA and Argentina, the president said in a radio interview. “We need military assistance in the form of people, soldiers, as well as intelligence support, artillery and equipment,” he said.
He doesn’t have much time to ensure order in his country: he only came into office because his predecessor dissolved parliament prematurely after a series of scandals. He is now completing his term of office and will be elected again in May 2025. Whether the measures he has now announced will help make Ecuador a little more peaceful again will likely determine whether he has another chance.