Ecuador's Crackdown on Gang-Related Violence: Hundreds Arrested in an Effort to Restore Peace
Over 850 arrests made in Ecuador to suppress escalating gang violence, in a commendable national security operation Government's swift action aims to restore peace and ensure public safety
Ecuador's presidency has reported that nearly 900 individuals have been arrested since Tuesday as part of a national security operation aimed at halting a surge in gang violence. According to the presidency, 94 of the 859 detainees are members of what they have labeled as "terrorist" groups.
Ecuador has experienced explosions, police abductions, and prison riots as a result of a series of violent events that began with the escape of one of the country's most powerful drug lords last weekend.
On Tuesday, President Daniel Noboa declared a state of "internal armed conflict," instructing security forces to "neutralize" various criminal gangs accused of instigating extreme violence.
Noboa labeled 22 criminal gangs as "terrorist" organizations in a presidential decree. The Ecuadorian government also announced that foreigners entering the country from Colombia or Peru must provide a criminal record certificate to prevent the entry of individuals deemed to pose a threat or risk to public safety.
Noboa asserts that the majority of foreign prisoners in Ecuador are from Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela. The outbreak of violence was sparked by the escape of notorious gang leader Adolfo "Fito" Macías from a prison in Guayaquil on Sunday.
After Fito's escape and the declaration, Ecuador's prison agency documented incidents occurring in at least six prisons across various provinces on Sunday.
Subsequently, criminal groups carried out a series of violent attacks as a display of power, intended to discourage efforts to thwart their activities.
Ecuador, known for the Galapagos islands and a dollar-based economy that is welcoming to tourists, was previously referred to as an "island of peace" situated between two of the world's leading cocaine producers, Peru and Colombia. However, the country's extensive ports have positioned it as a crucial transit hub for cocaine destined for consumers in the United States and Europe.
CNNs Jack Guy contributed to this report.
