Daniel Noboa, President of Ecuador, declares a state of emergency. Photo: HANDOUT/PRESIDENCIA ECUADOR/AFP
When Daniel Noboa came to power last November, aged just 35. He promised to destroy the powerful drug cartels that had gradually come to dominate Ecuador.
His “Phoenix” security strategy included plans to strengthen intelligence services and expand military presence at key points in the transport infrastructure.
It all fell apart in a matter of hours.
Amid extreme violence following the jailbreak of one of the country's most wanted gang leaders, masked thugs kidnapped police officers.
«You have declared war, you will get war,” one of the captured officers was forced to recite. at gunpoint in a video posted on social networks.
Marines monitor prisoners after a riot at the Litoral Regional Prison in Guayaquil this week Photo: ARMED FORCES OF ECUADOR?HANDOUT?EPA-EFE/SHUTTERSTOCK
“You have declared a state of emergency. We declare the police, civilians and soldiers objects of war,” they told the president, putting pistols to their heads.
All this took place in Guayaquil, a port city that became the epicenter of a war between increasingly powerful gangs. The city is valuable territory for drug traffickers seeking to secure cocaine pipelines to the United States and Europe.
Local gangs previously told The Telegraph they often receive gun cash from Mexican cartels for their services.
This increased their aggressive capabilities and made their rivalry bloodier. Security forces are struggling to keep up.
Ecuador's problems go beyond violence. Scandals involving judges, prosecutors and security officials in the international cocaine trade show how corruption has undermined the state's legitimacy and fueled accusations that Ecuador has become a narco-state.
Gangsters burned cars this week as prisoners rioted on the streets and intruded on live television news broadcasts, and opened fire on security forces and civilians, leading to an outbreak of violence that appeared to be coordinated.
Families barricaded themselves in their homes while outside chaos reigned.
Guayaquil is a city on the brink of a country struggling to resist the power of its drug gangs, and now the focus is on the reaction government.
Mr Noboa, the son of a banana magnate who is Ecuador's richest man, won the second round of a snap presidential election last October.
As a result of this week's gang violence, he declared a state of «…internal armed conflict.» The president has labeled 22 criminal groups «terrorist organizations» and ordered the military and police to mobilize and «neutralize» them.
Ecuador's leaders have declared a state of emergency before as gangs grew in size and influence, expanding their drug trafficking networks into new illegal economies and taking control of the country's prisons, agencies and government institutions.
But Mr. Noboa's statement of armed conflict with gangs is the first.
Adolfo Macias, aka Fito, leader of the Los Choneros gang , allegedly escaped from prison in Guayaquil Photo: ECUADORIAN ARMED FORCES/AFP
Referring to President Nayib Bukele's hardline stance in El Salvador, Mr Noboa called for a similar so-called «iron fist» approach in Ecuador.
He said organized crime groups are not «urban gangs» but «urban gangs». rather, they are “narco-terrorists, financed by drug traffickers to terrorize Ecuadorian families and undermine Ecuadorian sovereignty.”
With another nod to Mr. Bukele, Mr. Noboa has promised to build a maximum-security mega-prison, but his crackdown is criminal The policy appears to have created a backlash from gangs rather than suppressed them.
Mr. Noboa's administration has acknowledged that proposals to build prisons and fill them with jailed gang leaders may have fueled this latest wave of violence.
Security experts also warn that hard-line approaches are not only costly and ineffective , but are often counterproductive and unable to provide long-term solutions to the problems the country faces.
Ecuadorian security forces outside the presidential palace after Daniel Noboa said the country was in an «internal armed conflict»; Photo: RODRIGO BUENDIA/AFP
Opposition politicians have accused Mr Noboa of lacking a clear plan.
Harsh political realities are likely to limit Mr Noboa's ability to deliver on his security promises. The legislature is controlled by the opposition, and a severe budget deficit will limit its plans for additional spending.
Despite calls for national unity to confront the crisis, the proximity of the next election means the opposition is likely to be wary. too much support for the president.
Mr Noboa became Ecuador's youngest president at age 35, replacing Guillermo Lasso, who shortened his term to avoid impeachment on corruption charges. That means Mr. Noboa has just a year and a half to implement his agenda.
Political analysts believe Mr. Noboa may have been too ambitious, and many wonder whether he has strategy for exiting the war he is waging. just announced.
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