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Deployment of soldiers at home: Ecuador's president has declared a state of emergency to combat the escalating violence on the streets and the chaos in prisons.
Daniel Noboa, President of Ecuador:
"I appeal to the citizens to show their support, because it is everyone's struggle. We see that things need to change in the country and that our laws are not enough to live in peace."
In concrete terms, this means nightly curfews and restrictions on the right of assembly for the next 60 days. The decision came after the head of a cartel broke out over the weekend. Drug lord Adolfo Mancias was supposed to spend 34 years behind bars – now the authorities don't know where he is.
Politicians are reacting with a massive military presence. These images from a prison in Ecuador were published on Platform X: They document the means by which the forces of law and order try to maintain order in the overcrowded prisons.
Previous governments had also resorted to a state of emergency – but without success. Instead, violence in Ecuador has continued to increase in recent years. With around 25 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, one of the highest values in Latin America was measured in 2022.
The overcrowded prisons are controlled by criminal organizations. Every year, hundreds of inmates are killed in the fighting between the gangs.
The state of emergency and the measures associated with it are a test for the new president. It was only in November last year that 36-year-old Daniel Noboa took office. Previously, he had promised to take consistent action against the increasing violence.