Gunmen Storm Live Broadcast Amid Mass Violence In Ecuador - Prez Declares 'Internal Armed Conflict'

In the wake of the apparent prison escapes of two of the country's most powerful drug-gang leaders, Ecuador was rocked by a variety of violent incidents on Tuesday, including an on-air takeover of a television news broadcast in the country's largest city. In response, President Daniel Noboa declared 22 gangs to be terrorist organizations and ordered the military to "neutralize" them.   

As TC Television was airing a news program from its Guayaquil studios, men burst in wielding pistols, shotguns and what appeared to be some sort of fused explosives. Startled viewers across the country heard what sounded like gunshots, and the masked intruders announced they had bombs.  

They only ruled the airwaves for 20 minutes. Ecuador officials say all 13 perpetrators of the studio takeover were arrested. "All hostages were freed ... the perpetrators will confront justice and be sentenced for terrorist acts," said the police via Twitter. While ZeroHedge can't fully confirm its authenticity, this purported video of their mass perp-walk seems to show that some physical justice was dished out by cops well before the thugs see a judge: 

Elsewhere, there were reports of seven police officers being kidnapped in three different acts, as well as explosions in five different cities and looting in more. Five hospitals were also subjected to some kind of brief takeovers. Following prison riots and escapes that included two major gang kingpins, nearly 140 prison staff members are still being held hostage. 

So far, major media aren't reporting any fatalities, but expect that to change. Just for starters, there are videos circulating that purport to show a prison guard being hung, and others that are said to depict charred human remains from a car-bombing and a man lying dead in a street after being shot by police. 

Ecuador's government said the mayhem was sparked by the announcement that a new high-security prison would be built to house gang leaders. "Today's events show that the actions and decisions taken by the national government are gravely affecting criminal structures, and as an answer they have created a wave of violence to frighten the populace," said Admiral Jaime Vela, the top official in Ecuador's military. That spin is clearly intended to bolster sagging confidence in the government's ability to rescue Ecuadorian society. 

On Monday, Noboa declared a 60-day state of emergency after the escape of Adolfo Macias, who leads the Los Choneros gang. In the wake of Tuesday's descent into widespread violence, Noboa upped the ante by naming 22 gangs that will now be considered terrorist organizations that are fair game for the military, and by alerting the country that it is now in the throes of an "internal armed conflict." 

The country's nerves are rattled. Video circulated on social media showed students at the University of Guayaquil running in a panic for fear of gunmen. The school, however, said no gang intrusions occurred. 

Other video shows frightened crowds fleeing a shopping mall...

Ecuador was already sliding into an abyss: Violent deaths in 2023 were nearly 100% higher than in 2022. In August, an opposition presidential candidate who'd promised a crackdown on drug gangs was assassinated.

The new year is off to an even more worrisome start. Reuters summarized the immediate financial fallout: 

Ecuadorean sovereign bonds fell as concern over the violence spread to financial markets. The 2035 bond fell 1.125 cents to 36.25 cents on the dollar, while the 2030 dropped 1 cent to 48.25 and the 2040 lost half a cent to trade at 32.5 cents according to LSEG data. Spreads widened 83 basis points to 2,039 bps in JPMorgan's EMBIG index, reversing all the gains of the year in a rally that began in mid-December.

In 2009, the people of Ecuador voted to evict all US military personnel. However, in September, the United States and Ecuador reached agreements to allow US sea forces to operate on Ecuador's coast and to disembark when requested by their hosts -- all pursuant to curtailing drug traffic. 

There are some who question Washington's motives. "The US is seeking to escalate its war on drugs in Latin America, as a pretext for trying to regain strategic dominance of the region," wrote NakedCapitalism's Nick Corbishley in October. "It is doing so one country at a time, with the apparent ultimate endgame being direct, overt military intervention against Mexico’s drug cartels — on Mexican soil."