In Ecuador, several hundred soldiers patrolled the capital Quito, where residents were traumatised as an upsurge in violence shook the entire nation. After years of increasing dominance by international cartels using its ports to transport cocaine to the US and Europe, the small South American nation has found itself at the centre of a crisis. This time, the escalation of violence was triggered after Ecuador’s most dangerous gang leader, Jose Adolfo Macias, also known as “Fito”, escaped from the prison. The leader of the Los Choneros criminal gang was serving a 34-year jail sentence.
President Daniel Noboa declared a state of emergency for 60 days and a night curfew on 8th January, but the gangs responded by declaring “war” and threatening to kill civilians and security forces.
Gang members have also provoked several prison riots, set off public explosions, and carried out attacks in which at least 14 people have died. According to reports, 125 guards and 14 administrative staff were taken hostage across five different jails in Ecuador, with 11 later released.
On 10th January, President Daniel Noboa issued orders to “neutralise” criminal gangs after the attackers wearing balaclavas stormed and opened fire in a TV studio and threatened civilians and security forces with random executions. Just over two months after taking charge, Noboa announced the country to be in “internal armed conflict.”
⚠️ Unknown gunmen burst into Ecuador's state TV newsroom
— {Matt} $XRPatriot (@matttttt187) January 10, 2024
4 senior police officers have reportedly been kidnapped following Adolfo Macias leader of the Los Choneros criminal gang escape from prison.
Drug cartel members holding multiple Ecuadorian police officer hostage visuals… pic.twitter.com/v7q0dnosgQ
“I have signed the executive decree declaring Internal Armed Conflict and identified the following transnational organised crime groups as terrorist organisations and belligerent non-state actors: Águilas, ÁguilasKiller, Ak47, Caballeros Oscuros, ChoneKiller, Choneros, Covicheros, Cuartel de las Feas, Cubanos, Fatales, Gangster, Kater Piler, Lagartos, Latin Kings, Lobos, Los p.27, Los Tiburones, Mafia 18, Mafia Trébol, Patrones, R7, Tiguerones. I have ordered the Armed Forces to carry out military operations to neutralizs these groups,” President Noboa wrote on X.
He firmado el decreto ejecutivo declarando Conflicto Armado Interno e identifiqué a los siguientes grupos del crimen organizado transnacional como organizaciones terroristas y actores no estatales beligerantes: Águilas, ÁguilasKiller, Ak47, Caballeros Oscuros, ChoneKiller,… pic.twitter.com/rVfSTFmHlG
— Daniel Noboa Azin (@DanielNoboaOk) January 9, 2024
According to local media, some of the attackers were as young as 16 years old. This attack in particular sparked widespread panic, with many people abandoning work and closing their businesses.
Within hours of Noboa’s announcement on Monday, Ecuador witnessed a wave of nationwide attacks, including one in which gangsters held several police officers hostage. Following the kidnapping of the officers, the perpetrators released a terrifying video in which one was coerced to read a message to the president.
“You declared war, and you will get war,” read the frightened officer. “You declared a state of emergency. We declare police, civilians and soldiers to be the spoils of war.”
Ecuador cartels kidnap police and make them read statement saying: "You declared war, you will get war. You declared a state of emergency. We declare police, civilians and soldiers to be the spoils of war."
— Adrian Norman (@AdrianNormanDC) January 10, 2024
Cartel members also vow to execute anyone on the street after 11pm. pic.twitter.com/X46QSVZwB1
According to police, at least ten people have been killed in several incidents of gang attacks: eight in Guayaquil and two “viciously murdered by armed criminals” in the nearby town of Nobol.
“We are at war” announces Ecuadore President
“We are at war, and we will not surrender in the face of these terrorist groups,” Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa said on Canela Radio on 10th January, estimating that 20,000 criminal gang members are operating in the country.
“We are making every effort to recover all the hostages. We are doing everything possible and impossible to get them safe and sound,” he said, after officially designating 22 gangs as terrorist organisations and declaring them legitimate military targets.
Con firmeza y convicción, devolveremos la paz a todos los ecuatorianos. pic.twitter.com/mfxZPKk6rY
— Presidencia Ecuador 🇪🇨 (@Presidencia_Ec) January 10, 2024
Noboa promised in the radio interview that he would crack down on drug trafficking organisations and restore peace in the country.
“No hostage murdered” says Ecuadorean armed forces commander
Since the declaration of the state of emergency, 329 people have been arrested, the majority of whom are members of gangs such as Los Choneros, Los Lobos, and Los Tiguerones, according to armed forces commander Jaime Vela at a press conference on Wednesday evening.
🇪🇨 | ÚLTIMA HORA: Jaime Vela, jefe del Comando Conjunto de las Fuerzas Armadas de Ecuador, informa sobre la detención de 329 terroristas y la eliminación de 5 en operativos tras el decreto de conflicto armado interno.
— UHN PLUS (@UHN_Plus) January 10, 2024
Revela además la incautación de 61 armas, 418 municiones y… pic.twitter.com/v46nnoZVlB
In response to a query regarding terrifying videos that were making the rounds on social media and showed prison staff being subjected to severe violence, including being shot and hanging, Vela said, “There is no hostage who has been murdered.”
Security forces patrolled hospitals, public transportation, and newsrooms throughout Ecuador. The government has ordered teachers and students to hold classes remotely until Friday.
Curfew in Ecuador
Following the escape of the high-profile prisoner and subsequent prison riots, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa declared a nationwide state of emergency for 60 days on January 8. The nationwide curfew is in effect from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., with exceptions for certain essential workers and people travelling to and from airports with scheduled flights during curfew hours.
18 million people are living under the curfew in the country as the authorities hunt for ‘Fito’ and other gangsters.
Violence in Ecuador triggers reaction across the region
The violence has elicited reactions from across the region, with Peru declaring a state of emergency on Tuesday along its northern border with Ecuador, and Brazil, Colombia, and Chile expressing support for Noboa’s government. Meanwhile, Ecuador’s main creditor, China, has temporarily closed its embassy and consulates until further notification.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Jake Sullivan, the US national security adviser, condemned the violence. “We are committed to supporting Ecuadoreans’ security and prosperity and bolstering co-operation with partners to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice,” he wrote.
We strongly condemn the recent criminal attacks by armed groups in Ecuador against private, public, & government institutions. We are committed to supporting Ecuadorians’ security & prosperity & bolstering cooperation w/partners to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice.
— Jake Sullivan (@JakeSullivan46) January 10, 2024
Drugs, gangs, and violence in Ecuador
The surge in violence in Ecuador began in February 2021 with a massacre inside the country’s most “violent prison”, Literol Penitentiary, in which at least 79 people died. Another massacre inside the prison occurred in September of last year, killing 116 inmates and beheading several of them. According to reports, 18 clashes occurred inside prisons over the last three years, killing over 450 people. From 2018 to 2022, the country’s murder rate nearly quadrupled and a record 220 tonnes of drugs were confiscated last year.
Authorities in Ecuador claim that gangster Fito’s Los Choneros gang is behind an upsurge in violence that has been linked to drug trafficking and escalated to another level last year with the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. According to authorities, the gang has ties to Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel.
Ecuador violence impacts markets
The increase in violence, as well as the government’s response, has grave repercussions for public safety, human rights, and Ecuador’s international reputation. The situation has also had a detrimental effect on financial markets, with Ecuadorian bonds losing value as concerns about the country’s stability grow.
According to LSEG data, the 2035 bond fell 1.125 cents to 36.25 cents on the dollar, the 2030 bond fell 1 cent to 48.25 cents, and the 2040 bond fell half a cent to 32.5 cents. Spreads in JPMorgan’s EMBIG index widened 83 basis points to 2,039 basis points, reversing all of the year’s gains in a rally that began in mid-December.
