Ecuador president declares war on armed gangs
Ecuador's president Noboa has ordered that criminal gangs be 'neutralised' after days of violence culminated in an attack on a television studio.
Masked assailants forcefully entered the live studio of public television channel TC during a broadcast, prompting the staff to the ground and creating a scene of chaos.
Law enforcement authorities acted swiftly, making 13 arrests in connection with the attack, which left two employees injured.
The country has witnessed a string of violence resulting in at least 10 fatalities since the commencement of a 60-day state of emergency in Ecuador earlier in the week.
The emergency measures were put in place after a notorious gang leader disappeared from a prison cell. There remains uncertainty about whether the attack on the TV studio in Guayaquil was linked to the disappearance of the Choneros gang chief, Adolfo Macías Villamar, commonly known as Fito, from a prison in the same city.
President Noboa declared on Tuesday that the nation was facing an 'internal armed conflict' and announced the mobilization of the armed forces to conduct 'military operations to neutralize' what he referred to as 'transnational organized crime, terrorist groups, and aggressive non-state entities.'
The United States has denounced the 'audacious attacks' in Ecuador and expressed readiness to collaborate closely with President Daniel Noboa's government, standing prepared to provide assistance and support.
.png "Advertisement")
