Hundreds of soldiers patrolled Quitos near-deserted streets on Wednesday after the government and drug cartels effectively declared war, leaving residents terrified. The Ecuador government has government vowed to eradicate powerful cartels controlling ports and prisons as the small South American country has been plunged into crisis after years of growing control by transnational cartels. President declares Armed ConflictPresident Daniel Noboa, 36, authorised military action to neutralize gangs following brazen raids on a TV studio and mass abductions of police. He declared a state of internal armed conflict against the mafia networks shipping billions in cocaine abroad in less than two months after taking officeGangs retaliate with execution threatsThe cartels instantly retaliated which led to the prison break of one of Ecuadors most powerful narco bosses on Sunday. The crime gangs also abducted dozens of officers and guards while inmates rioted countrywide. You declared a state of emergency. We declare police, civilians and soldiers to be the spoils of war, one captive officer was forced to read on video, warning after-dark wanderers risked execution.Gangs broadcast threats on live TVIn one dramatic incident in Guayaquil port, attackers wearing balaclavas stormed a state TV station firing shots and briefly taking hostages, with the tense standoff airing live before police intervened.Global powers express alarmThe dramatic explosion in violence has sparked international alarm, from Washington, Brussels and beyond. EU, US and Peru have condemned these attacks in Ecuador and called it an attack on democracy. While Peru has strengthened its borders with Ecuador, China, France and Russia advised suspending services and travel amid fears of fueled bloodshed between Noboas administration and the deeply embedded narco empires commanding vast swathes of Ecuador.Narcos fight for cocaine routesWith borders beside the worlds top two cocaine producers, Colombia and Peru, experts say Ecuadors weak port controls, especially the Guayaquil port, have enabled foreign mafia to take over and battle for control of shipment routes, sending murder rates surging fourfold since 2018 alongside record seizures.Complicating the crackdown, top bosses of Los Choneros and Los Lobos have escaped from prison in recent days to coordinate operations. You want war, you will get war, Noboa has asserted while deploying the military against 22 cartels.
