Ecuador: Over 40 Prisoners Break Free After President Daniel Noboa Declares State of Emergency

In a tumultuous turn of events, 43 prisoners are still on the run following a jailbreak in northern Ecuador, as stated by the SNAI prisons agency on Monday, Reuters reports.

Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa declared a 60-day state of emergency last week, accompanied by a nighttime curfew, designating 22 criminal groups as terrorists in response to the country's escalating security crisis.

The recent surge in violence, including a live TV news broadcast stormed by gunmen, city-wide explosions, and the kidnapping of police officers, is seen as a reaction to President Noboa's security plans.

Security forces, including police and military personnel, are intensifying operations across the country.

Over the weekend, about 200 kidnapped guards and administrative officials were freed from at least seven prisons.

Inmates made a daring escape from a jail in Esmeraldas, a city near the border with Colombia, according to a statement by the SNAI on Monday.

The escape was discovered following a thorough search operation conducted by approximately 2,000 members of Ecuador's security forces on Sunday.

The statement from SNAI revealed that, as a result of the inspection, 48 inmates were found to have escaped, with efforts leading to the recapture of five Ecuador prisoners.

Additionally, security forces uncovered the unfortunate news that one prisoner had died within the confines of the prison, though further details were not provided.

Since the state of emergency declaration, security forces have detained over 1,500 individuals and conducted 41 operations against terrorist groups, according to the government.

Hostages Freed Amid Prison Riots

All prison staff taken hostage during prison riots amid the heightened violence have been released, announced prison authorities, according to Al Jazeera.

SNAI prison authorities credited security protocols and joint efforts of the police and national army for the successful release.

"Security protocols and the joint work of the police and the national army enabled the release of all the hostages who were being held in various prisons across the country," SNAI prison authorities posted a statement on the social media platform X on Saturday.

The hostages, initially reported as 158 prison guards and 20 administrative staffers, had been held captive in at least seven prisons since last week.

Emotional images showed released guards, many in tears, being supported by their colleagues.

President Daniel Noboa commended SNAI, police, and armed forces for the hostages' safe release.

Ecuador's Daniel Noboa Addresses Global Gang Violence Issue

President Daniel Noboa, Ecuador's youngest-ever president, described the recent gang violence as a global problem in an interview with the BBC.

Facing the country's most significant crisis since taking office in November, Noboa addressed the unrest involving gang leaders' escape, prison riots, and explosive incidents across cities.

Noboa acknowledged the daunting task of restoring peace to the country and declared Ecuador to be in an "internal armed conflict" with powerful drug gangs controlling the cocaine trade.

He ordered the military to "neutralize" 22 armed groups designated as terrorist organizations.

The US is offering assistance, with a delegation of law enforcement, military, and diplomatic personnel expected to arrive in Ecuador in the coming weeks.

While some critics see interventionism, Noboa views it as crucial to international attention to the narco-terrorist operations affecting the world.

President Noboa stressed the need to address the root causes of the problem, emphasizing that the drug trade operations extend beyond Ecuador's borders, impacting regions such as Europe and the US.

The challenges ahead are significant, but President Daniel Noboa remains determined to confront and solve the deep-seated issues contributing to Ecuador's crisis.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

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