Violence erupted across the South American country this week after a notorious gang leader disappeared from prison. The president has declared a state of emergency.
Violence erupted across Ecuador this week after a well-known gang leader disappeared from prison. Explosions, looting, gunfire and burning vehicles were reported, and there were uprisings in several prisons. In the largest city, Guayaquil, gunmen stormed a TV studio during a live broadcast on Tuesday.
President Daniel Noboa declared a 60-day state of emergency, imposing a nationwide curfew and authorizing the military to patrol the streets and take control of prisons. Mr. Noboa also deployed thousands of police officers and military personnel to search for the gang leader, Adolfo Macías.
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By Wednesday, the violence had left at least 11 people dead across the country, the police said. Shops, schools and government offices were closed, and streets in Guayaquil and the capital, Quito, were jammed with traffic as workers tried to get home.
The authorities said that a second major gang leader had escaped from an Ecuadorean prison, along with other inmates. In a presidential decree, Mr. Noboa declared that an internal armed conflict was underway and ordered the military to “neutralize” two dozen gangs, which he called terrorist organizations.
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