Ecuador President Daniel Noboa said on Wednesday his country was “at war” with drug gangs who are holding prison guards hostage, amid a dramatic surge in violence that saw gunmen briefly take over a TV live broadcast and explosions in multiple cities.
Noboa on Tuesday named 22 gangs as terrorist organizations, making them official military targets. The president took power in November pledging to tackle a growing security problem caused by a rise in drug-trafficking gangs transporting cocaine
He estimated that some 20,000 crime gang members are active in Ecuador.
Streets in the capital Quito and port city of Guayaquil were quieter than usual on Wednesday, with many businesses closed or working remotely and schools shuttered.
The hostage-takings of more than 130 prison guards and staff, which began in the early hours of Monday, and the apparent escape of Los Choneros gang leader Adolfo Macias from prison over the weekend spurred Noboa to declare a 60-day state of emergency.
He hardened the decree on Tuesday after a series of explosions around the country and the takeover of the TC television station by balaclava-clad gunmen live on air.
Noboa said every effort is being made to rescue the prison hostages.
Some 329 people, mostly members of gangs like Los Choneros, Los Lobos and Los Tiguerones have been arrested since the state of emergency began, armed forces commander Jaime Vela said at a press conference on Wednesday evening.
The government has said the latest wave of violence is a reaction to Noboa’s plan to build new high-security prisons for gang leaders. Noboa told the radio station a design for two new facilities will be made public soon
The SNAI prisons agency has said guards account for 125 of the hostages, while 14 are administrative staff. Eleven people were freed on Tuesday, it said.
A journalist who was held hostage during the TC station takeover and forced at gunpoint to appear on camera told newsmen in an interview that the experience was ‘surreal’
Noboa said the country will begin deporting foreign prisoners, especially Colombians, this week to reduce prison populations and spending.
There are some 1,500 Colombians in prison in Ecuador, Noboa said, and prisoners from Colombia, Peru and Venezuela account for 90% of jailed foreigners.
Meanwhile, Colombia said on Wednesday it would increase military presence and controls along its nearly 600-kilometre border with Ecuador.
Noboa said the best way to safeguard the economy and foreign investment would be to improve security and ensure the rule of law.
The government dispatched security forces to ports to safeguard exports like fruit and cocoa, while the energy ministry said the oil and mining sectors were functioning normally.
The Chinese embassy and consulates were temporarily shut, said China, a major investor in Ecuador.
Residents out in the morning said it felt like a return to pandemic lockdowns.
Editor Oloyede Oworu
