Ecuador deems drug gangs ‘terrorist groups’ after live TV attack

Facing a surge in violence, Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa on Tuesday issued a revised decree designating 20 drug gangs as terrorist groups.

It also authorised the military to “neutralise” them “within the bounds of international humanitarian law”.

The country has been plunged into chaos after its most notorious gang leader and drug lord, Adolfo Macías, escaped from prison on Sunday.

He was due to be transferred to a maximum security facility that day.

Macias’ whereabouts remain unknown.

On Monday, Noboa declared a 60-day state of emergency in response to a wave of attacks inside and outside prisons that have seen police and prison guards murdered.

Then on Tuesday, there was a string of violent incidents, including one in which masked men broke onto the set of a public television channel waving guns and explosives during a live broadcast.

The takeover of the TV studio was broadcast live for more than 15 minutes. The national police chief later announced that authorities had arrested all 13 of the masked intruders.
They will be charged with terrorism, a crime that could see them face up to 13 years in prison.

Ecuador has been seen as a relatively peaceful country in the past. But in recent years it has seen an explosion of violence.

Noboa, who took office in November, has promised to stem drug trade-related violence. In a message on Instagram, he said he would not stop until he “brings back peace to all Ecuadorians”.

This prompted the president to revise his initial decree recognising an “internal armed conflict” and identifying the gangs as terrorist groups.

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