Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa said Thursday that his country will emerge victorious from the internal armed conflict that Ecuador has been experiencing in recent days.
"We are convinced that we will emerge victorious from this conflict," Noboa said in a video address to the nation published on X.
On Monday, Noboa declared a 60-day state of emergency in Ecuador following prison riots and the escape of a major gang leader. On Tuesday, Noboa declared a state of internal armed conflict in the country and ordered Ecuador's army to neutralize criminal groups operating in the state.
The unrest came as authorities raided prisons in search of weapons and in an effort to disperse gang members to different facilities. During Sunday's search of the Guayaquil prison, law enforcement officials failed to find the leader of the Los Choneros gang, Jose Adolfo Macias Villamar, also known as Fito, who is considered the most dangerous criminal in the country.
The National Service for Comprehensive Assistance to Adult Persons Deprived of Liberty and Teenage Offenders of Ecuador said on Tuesday that Fabricio Colon Pico, the leader of Ecuador's second-largest criminal gang, Los Lobos, has also escaped from prison as a result of riots.