Ecuadorian President says his country is at war with drug gangs
Kyiv • UNN
Ecuador's president said his country is at war with drug gangs, calling them terrorists after they took security guards hostage and staged a riot that led to mass arrests.
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa said on Wednesday that his country is at war with drug gangs that are holding prison guards hostage. This was reported by Reuters, according to UNN.
Details
It is noted that the country's leader named 22 criminal gangs that caused riots in Ecuador as terrorist organizations and made them official military targets.
We are at war, and we cannot give in to these terrorist groups,
He estimates that there are about 20,000 members of criminal groups operating in the country.
Commander of the Armed Forces of Ecuador Jaime Vela said that about 329 people, mostly members of the Los Choneros, Los Lobos and Los Tiguerones gangs, have been arrested since the introduction of the state of emergency in the country.
The government said the latest wave of violence is a reaction to the president's plan to build new maximum security prisons for gang leaders. Noboa said that the design of the two new facilities would be made public this week.
Recall
On January 7, the drug lord of one of the Los Choneros groups, Adolfo Macias, escaped from prison. He was supposed to be transferred to a maximum security prison that day. The next day, the authorities reported the incident and charged two prison guards.
On Monday, January 8, the President of Ecuador declared a 60-day state of emergency, which gave the authorities the power to suspend people's rights and allowed them to mobilize the military in prisons.
On Tuesday, January 9, masked men stormed into the set of an Ecuadorian public television station, brandishing weapons and explosives, during a live broadcast. President Daniel Noboa issued a decree declaring that an "internal armed conflict" had begun in the country.
Police detain about 330 gang members in EcuadorJan 11 2024, 03:03 AM • 33898 views
