Internal Armed Conflict in Ecuador, Violence Continues

Police confirmed two explosive attacks on Wednesday night and early Thursday morning, as criminal gang violence continues in Ecuador.

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One occurred in a police unit in the neighborhood of El Conde, in the south of the Ecuadorian capital, Quito, which caused damage without leaving victims.

Another explosion occurred in a discotheque in the city of El Coca, in the province of Orellana. This attack left one dead, five injured due to burns and material damage. 

The police said in a statement disseminated through the social network X that "police units were immediately mobilized to collect evidence and locate the alleged perpetrators."

The tweet reads, "The Armed Forces confirmed military reinforcements on the border with Ecuador to prevent the passage of fugitives and criminals into Colombia. This measure follows the wave of violence unleashed in the neighboring country by drug trafficking gangs."

According to the police, a series of control operations are taking place in several localities of the country in the framework of the state of emergency, with curfew, in force since last Monday due to the escalation of violence.

It further reported the arrest of two men carrying weapons, cartridges and other items on a road in the town of El Carmen, in the western province of Manabí. "Presumably they intended to attack citizens and police personnel in El Carmen," the police said.

Violence in the South American country reached its peak last Monday and Tuesday with an unprecedented series of violent acts by criminals gangs.

In recent days there have been bombings, armed attacks, vehicle incinerations, kidnappings of police officers and prison riots in response to the harsh security policy promoted by the government. 

On Wednesday, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa stated that the country is in a "state of war" and called for not giving in to terrorist groups.

The Armed Forces have been mobilized to neutralize 22 groups that have been identified as terrorists. The government ordered militarization of strategic points in the country and hotspots where gangs operate, some of which have links to Mexican and Colombian cartels.

As a result of the military operation, 329 people linked to "terrorist" groups were arrested and five others were killed, a statement said Wednesday. 

Most of those arrested belong to the Los Choneros, Los Lobos and Los Tiguerones gangs, the police said. The first two gangs include Adolfo Macias, alias "Fito," a drug kingpin in the South American country, and Fabricio Colon Pico, both of whom recently escaped from prison.