Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa on Jan. 8 declared [13] a 60-day state of emergency in the country after the escape [7] of Adolfo Macías Villamar AKA "Fito," leader of Los Choneros [8] narco-gang, from Littoral Penitentiary in Guayaquil. Macías had been serving a 34-year sentence since 2011 for drug trafficking, murder, and organized crime. As news broke of his disappearance, six other correctional facilities across the country exploded into riots. The situation escalated the following day, when hooded gunmen interrupted a live television broadcast in Guayaquil, taking reporters and staff hostage. Noboa responded by declaring a state of "internal armed conflict" in the country, ordering security forces to "neutralize" designated "terrorist organizations" and "non-state actors," including Los Choneros, Los Lobos [9] and Los Tiguerones [10] narco-gangs. (Jurist [14], CNN [15], BBC News [16], NYT [17], AFP [18], InfoBae [19], La República [20])
Noboa's predecessor Guillermo Lasso similarly declared a state of emergency [21] in response to the ongoing prison cirisis [22] in 2021. But the current situation represents a significant escalation.
