Competing factions of a drug trafficking gang clash in Ecuador’s port city of Guayaquil ahead of a presidential election.
At least 22 people have been killed in Ecuador’s port city of Guayaquil as rival factions of a drug trafficking gang engaged in a gunfight, reflecting the deteriorating law and order situation in the country before a presidential race.
Three additional individuals were injured during the violence, according to a police statement, raising the death toll from 19 to 22 on Friday.
Police reported that the gunfight began on Thursday when opposing groups of a gang known as Los Tiguerones, one of the most powerful in this previously tranquil country, became embroiled in a dispute.
Guayaquil’s El Universo newspaper described the incident as a “massacre,” stating that the gangs were contending for control over their territories.
The newspaper further stated that multiple homes in the Socio Vivienda district of the city were attacked by at least 20 armed gang members, resulting in numerous fatalities.
Images and videos posted on X depicted various heavily armed men moving through the Socio Vivienda district during the assault.
Emergency medical personnel were also seen transporting injured victims for treatment, as government security forces were dispatched to the area.
The latest casualties bring the total number of people killed in the region to over 400 in recent months, according to El Universo.
Ecuador is a country home to approximately 20 criminal gangs engaged in drug trafficking, kidnapping, and extortion, causing havoc in a nation of 18 million nestled between the world’s largest cocaine producers, Peru and Colombia.
Ecuador has experienced a surge in violence due to the rapid spread of transnational drug cartels utilizing its ports, like Guayaquil, to transport cocaine to the United States and Europe.
For instance, homicides have risen from six per 100,000 inhabitants in 2018 to a record high of 47 in 2023.
Experts suggest that the gangs are constantly evolving and growing stronger, fueled by profits from criminal activities.
Guayaquil, the capital of Guayas province, is among seven provinces under a state of emergency as the government combats the gangsters.
Last month, right-wing President Daniel Noboa, who is seeking re-election, stated he would request military support from unspecified allied countries to aid in combating the gangs.
The violence persists as Ecuador prepares for a run-off election on April 13, where Noboa will face off against leftist Luisa Gonzalez.
Noboa has adopted a firm approach to curb violent crime, including declaring a state of emergency and deploying the military to the streets.
Human rights groups argue that the aggressive use of armed forces has led to abuses, including the murder of four boys whose burned bodies were recently discovered near an army base.
Three additional individuals were injured during the violence, according to a police statement, raising the death toll from 19 to 22 on Friday.
Police reported that the gunfight began on Thursday when opposing groups of a gang known as Los Tiguerones, one of the most powerful in this previously tranquil country, became embroiled in a dispute.
Guayaquil’s El Universo newspaper described the incident as a “massacre,” stating that the gangs were contending for control over their territories.
The newspaper further stated that multiple homes in the Socio Vivienda district of the city were attacked by at least 20 armed gang members, resulting in numerous fatalities.
Images and videos posted on X depicted various heavily armed men moving through the Socio Vivienda district during the assault.
Emergency medical personnel were also seen transporting injured victims for treatment, as government security forces were dispatched to the area.
The latest casualties bring the total number of people killed in the region to over 400 in recent months, according to El Universo.
Ecuador is a country home to approximately 20 criminal gangs engaged in drug trafficking, kidnapping, and extortion, causing havoc in a nation of 18 million nestled between the world’s largest cocaine producers, Peru and Colombia.
Ecuador has experienced a surge in violence due to the rapid spread of transnational drug cartels utilizing its ports, like Guayaquil, to transport cocaine to the United States and Europe.
For instance, homicides have risen from six per 100,000 inhabitants in 2018 to a record high of 47 in 2023.
Experts suggest that the gangs are constantly evolving and growing stronger, fueled by profits from criminal activities.
Guayaquil, the capital of Guayas province, is among seven provinces under a state of emergency as the government combats the gangsters.
Last month, right-wing President Daniel Noboa, who is seeking re-election, stated he would request military support from unspecified allied countries to aid in combating the gangs.
The violence persists as Ecuador prepares for a run-off election on April 13, where Noboa will face off against leftist Luisa Gonzalez.
Noboa has adopted a firm approach to curb violent crime, including declaring a state of emergency and deploying the military to the streets.
Human rights groups argue that the aggressive use of armed forces has led to abuses, including the murder of four boys whose burned bodies were recently discovered near an army base.
