GUAYAQUIL
– On Wednesday, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa declared an “internal armed
conflict” in the country and ordered security forces to neutralize numerous
criminal groups accused of spreading extreme violence, Al-Ghad reported.
اضافة اعلان
The
announcement came shortly after masked and armed men interrupted live
television broadcasts by Ecuadorian television station, TC Televisión. This was
one of several violent incidents that occurred throughout Ecuador on Tuesday,
including the presence of armed individuals in a hospital and university in the
coastal city of Guayaquil.
Video
footage of the attack went viral on the Internet, documenting the attackers
forcing employees to lie down on the floor while gunshots and screams were
heard in the background. Ecuadorians were shocked when they witnessed the
attack on the live broadcast.
Later,
the Ecuadorian police announced that they had arrested all the gunmen. The
employees of the channel were evacuated unharmed.
César
Zapata, General Commander of the National Police, stated that at least four
firearms, two hand grenades, and explosive materials were found in possession
by the 13 people who were
arrested. Zapata further explained that the perpetrators would be brought to
justice for their “terrorist acts”.
Jorge
Rendon, a presenter at TC Televisión, described the incident as an “extremely
violent attack”.
“They
wanted to storm the studio so that we could say what they wanted and convey
certain messages,” Rendon stated.
He
added that he “learned of gunfire that injured one person and killed another at
the hands of the attackers.”
Later,
it was announced that at least 10 people, including two police officers, were
killed, according to a preliminary report released by the police.
Fear
and panic were widespread among
Ecuadorian citizens. A woman living outside Guayaquil described the chaotic
traffic, saying, “Cars were driving in the wrong direction… everyone was trying
to escape.”
“The
most terrifying thing was seeing despair in people’s eyes and watching
companies close their doors, and frightened people, especially children and
women, running and panicking on roads designated for cars only,” she added.
Since
President Noboa declared a state of emergency across the country on Monday
after the prominent gang leader Adolfo Macías Villamar, better known as
"Fito", escaped from a prison in Guayaquil, the country has been
shaken by explosions, arrests, and prison riots. The state of emergency is
expected to last for 60 days, with police and army forces on high alert to
maintain public order. A curfew has been imposed from 11 pm to 5 am. Civilian
gatherings have also been restricted.
The
government said on Sunday that the search for Vito continues, with more than
3,000 police officers and military personnel deployed to find him.
Ecuadorian
authorities announced that they have not yet determined the specific time and
date of Vito’s escape from prison.
Vito
is the leader of the Los Choneros cartel, one of the most dangerous gangs in
Ecuador. The gang has been linked to drug trafficking in Mexico and the US in
coordination with the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico and the Oliver Sinisterra Front
in Colombia, according to the criminal
research center, InSight Crime.
Since
the state of emergency was declared, at least seven police officers have been
abducted in three different cities, according to the National Police of
Ecuador.
According
to Ecuadorian news sources, the deterioration of security in the country is
largely due to competing criminal organizations, which often carry out brutal
and public acts of violence in the streets and prisons of the country in their
attempts to control drug smuggling routes.
The
Ecuadorian military said it carried out security operations on Monday night and
Tuesday morning in the most troubled areas of the country.
Amid
the unrest in Ecuador, officials in neighboring Peru said the country plans to
declare a state of emergency along the entire northern border.
The
US announced on Tuesday that it is “extremely concerned” about the ongoing
violence in Ecuador.
In
a post on X, the US State Department’s senior official for Latin American
affairs, Brian A. Nichols, said, “We are deeply concerned about the violence
and kidnappings that occurred today in Ecuador.”
“We are in close contact with President Noboa
and the Ecuadorian government, and we are ready to provide assistance,” Nichols
added.
Meanwhile,
China suspended embassy activities in Ecuador.
Beijing
announced on Wednesday that it had suspended consular activities at its embassy
in Quito, according to Agence France-Presse.
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