Gang violence kills 22 in Ecuador’s Guayaquil

Ecuador's largest city Guayaquil was rocked by deadly violence as gun battles claimed 22 lives in what police describe as a potential dispute between factions of the Los Tiguerones criminal gang fighting for territorial control in the Nueva Prosperina neighborhood.

Police Zone 8 commander General Pablo Davila released video footage showing raids following the incident, confirming that 12 people had been detained for participating in the violence, including two minors who have been isolated. Authorities noted that several of those killed had prior convictions for robbery, drug trafficking, and weapons possession.

Local newspaper El Universo characterized the incident as a "massacre," reporting that at least 20 armed gang members targeted several homes in the Socio Vivienda district. Social media posts showed heavily armed men running through the area during the attack, while emergency workers rushed to treat the injured. Three people were wounded in addition to those killed.

The violence comes amid President Daniel Noboa's intensified security operations in Ecuador's most violent areas as part of his declared war on drug gangs. Noboa, who is running for reelection in an April run-off against leftist Luisa Gonzalez, has taken an "iron-fisted" approach to tackle violent crime, including declaring a state of emergency and deploying the military.

Ecuador has witnessed an alarming rise in violence as approximately 20 criminal gangs involved in drug trafficking, kidnapping, and extortion have gained power. The country's strategic location between the world's largest cocaine producers, Peru and Colombia, has made its ports, particularly Guayaquil, key shipping points for narcotics destined for the United States and Europe.

The homicide rate has skyrocketed from six per 100,000 inhabitants in 2018 to a record 47 in 2023. According to El Universo, more than 400 people have been killed in the Guayaquil area in recent months. 

Human rights groups have raised concerns about potential abuses resulting from the aggressive deployment of armed forces.