The president of Ecuador has said the country was at war with drug gangs, as dozens of prison staff were held hostage in a deteriorating security crisis that has seen a series of jailbreaks, bombings and the temporary takeover of a television studio.
Daniel Noboa, who took office in November promising to halt Ecuador’s surging crime wave, announced that the country would begin moving foreigners from jails to free up resources in response to the crisis, which began on Sunday when a notorious gang leader escaped from prison.
The president has designated 22 gangs as terrorist organisations, allowing the military to target them. “We are at war and we cannot back down in the face of these terrorist groups,” he said in an interview with local media on Wednesday.