Quito, Ecuador: Ecuador, once a haven of relative peace in Latin America, is now witnessing an unprecedented surge in violence and chaos. The country’s security situation has deteriorated rapidly, with murder and violence linked to drug trafficking soaring, making it one of the most dangerous countries in the region.
President Daniel Noboa, in response to the escalating violence, has declared a state of “internal armed conflict.” He has designated 20 drug trafficking gangs as terrorist groups, authorizing the military to “neutralize” these crime factions within the bounds of international humanitarian law.
The catalyst for the current chaos was the escape of Adolfo Macías, alias Fito, the country’s most notorious gang leader and drug lord, from prison. This escape triggered a wave of attacks, including the murder of police and prison guards and the invasion of a TV station by armed gangsters during a live broadcast.
Ecuador’s violent death rate has skyrocketed from five per 100,000 inhabitants in 2017 to 46, making 2023 the most violent year in the country’s history. The recent jailbreak of another gang leader, Fabricio Colón, leader of the Los Lobos gang, has further exacerbated the situation. Colón is linked to the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio and death threats against the attorney general, Diana Salazar.
Organized crime’s influence has now extended into the corridors of power in Ecuador. Several gangs are rebelling against President Noboa’s tough approach, which includes militarizing jails, lengthening sentences, and isolating powerful kingpins.
The government’s response, inspired by El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, includes plans to construct two maximum security prisons. However, trapped between economic hardship and the risk of violent crime, many Ecuadorians are fleeing the country, with tens of thousands risking the perilous journey north via the Darién Gap.
The rise in violence is attributed to local crime gangs, influenced by the Mexican drug cartels Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation. These gangs have adopted brutally violent tactics, which are now being used against the Ecuadorian state.
