Washington expresses its concern about the violence in Ecuador »

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The United States announced that it is “deeply concerned” about the ongoing violence in Ecuador, which prompted the president of this country to declare a state of emergency and deploy the army in cities to help control security.

In a post on the “X” platform (formerly Twitter), Brian Nichols, responsible for Latin American affairs at the US State Department, said, “We are deeply concerned about the violence and kidnappings that occurred yesterday in Ecuador.”
He added that American officials “will remain in close contact” with their Ecuadorian counterparts to discuss ways to address the current crisis.
In turn, a ministry spokesman said that the United States “condemns these brazen attacks.”
“We are in close contact with President (Daniel) Noboa and the Ecuadorian government and we are ready to provide assistance,” he added.
The American position came shortly after Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa issued a decree in which he declared that the country was in a state of “internal armed conflict” and ordered the “mobilization and intervention of the armed forces and the national police to ensure sovereignty and national territorial integrity against organized crime and terrorist organizations.”
On Monday, Noboa declared a state of emergency throughout Ecuador, including in prisons, after Jose Adolfo Macias, nicknamed “Vito,” the leader of the most dangerous criminal gang in the country, escaped from prison and riots and disobedience broke out in a number of prisons.
In his decree issued Tuesday, the President of Ecuador ordered the army to “neutralize” all gangs involved in drug trafficking and smuggling.
The strength of these gangs has increased in recent years after Ecuador became a major destination for the export of cocaine produced in neighboring Peru and Colombia.
For years, Ecuador has witnessed violence resulting from power struggles between rival local gangs linked to Mexican and Colombian gangs.