Ecuador Erupts Into Civil War With Cartels

The fecal matter has hit the bladed radial oscillator in Ecuador as cartel members take over a TV station, take hostages and the army is deployed. Some of the headlines this morning (all from the Daily Mail):

• "Ecuador erupts in 'civil war' with cartel thugs: President orders the army onto streets as crazed criminals rampage through cities - with TV station seized, university attacked and jail guards executed following escape of mob boss."
• "Lawless Ecuador descends into chaos: Machete-wielding cartel thugs threaten to kill hostages and execute ANYONE they find in the streets as president vows to 'neutralise' 20 drug gangs in deepening narco 'civil war'."
• "Inside Ecuador's brutal drug gangs: How ruthless cartels are leaving a bloody trail of destruction in battle for supremacy - as country spirals out of control in 'civil war'."
• And to warm the hearts of liberals and other traitors: "Ecuadorians are flooding to US as country descends into civil war: More than 100,000 migrants from cartel gangland entered America in 2023 - 370 PERCENT more than 2022."

And this summary of events from Reuters:

    Ecuador is reeling from a fresh wave of violence that has shaken the South American nation, with President Daniel Noboa launching a military crackdown on gangs after criminal groups took more than 100 prison staff hostage and armed men dramatically interrupted a live television broadcast.

    The crisis highlights the challenges ahead for Noboa, who took power in November after pledging during an election campaign to curb violence as drug trafficking gangs increasingly transport cocaine through Ecuador.

After discussing the general deterioration of security in the country, the article moves to this week's violence:

WHAT CAUSED THIS WEEK'S FLARE-UP OF VIOLENCE?

    Police said on Sunday that Adolfo Macias, the leader of the Los Choneros criminal gang, had disappeared from the prison where he was serving a 34-year sentence. Authorities are trying to track him down.

    Meanwhile, there were incidents of violence in at least six prisons beginning on Monday. As of Wednesday, more than 100 guards and other staff were still being held hostage by prisoners. In Riobamba, a provincial capital in central Ecuador, 39 inmates escaped from a prison, though some have been recaptured.

    Violence spread to the streets on Tuesday, with two police officers killed in Guayas province, where Guayaquil [a port city central to the drug trade] is located.

    Seven police officers were also kidnapped around the country, though three have been freed.

    The violence was most dramatically displayed when an armed group burst into a television studio during a live broadcast and held journalists at gunpoint. More than a dozen people in the group were arrested.

    Explosions were also confirmed in several cities on Tuesday, though no injuries were reported.

    Noboa, who has vowed not to negotiate with "terrorists," has said the violence is a reaction to his government's plans to build a new high-security prison for jailed gang leaders.