Ecuadorian drug trafficker and gang leader Adolfo Macias disappeared from prison two days ago and President Daniel Noboa has now declared a state of emergency in the country for 60 days, which took effect from January 9, 2024. On the same day, armed men broke into Ecuador’s television studio in Guayaquil, TC, during a live broadcast and forced the people present onto the floor. Since the declaration of the emergency, the country has been torn with lack of security and safety. There have been reports on the kidnapping of police officers and of people getting killed within just the first day of state emergency. Now, the possibility of another attack is imminent and places of public gatherings are seemingly at high risk.
Adolfo Macias, a drug trafficker and perpetrator of gang violence was initially imprisoned in 2011 with a lengthy sentence for the crimes he was charged with. Since the man’s escape, a state of unrest has been prevalent in the country with increased violence and crime. There have been reports of explosions, people being taken as hostage and inmates escaping from prison. Though it has not been confirmed that the attackers who took over TC Television Studio were related to Adolfo Macias, the masked gunmen terrorized the studio staff injuring some before the perpetrators were eventually caught. The disappearance of Adolfo Macias has occurred within months of Daniel Noboa taking charge as the President of the country, contributing to the uncertainty surrounding Ecuador’s future.
Shopping centers, hospitals, religious institutions and more are under the threat of an attack as these are areas with public gatherings. These are also areas that have been targets of terrorist attacks in both the past and the present. Owing to the events that have been taking place in Ecuador in the past week, Peru, one among the neighboring countries, has declared an emergency on its northern border which it shares with the country.
