What's Behind Ecuador's Cartel War?

The dramatic armed siege of a TV station in Ecuador is just the latest symptom of a state in chaos. Nearly two dozen gangs have now been designated terrorist groups by the government, and a nationwide curfew is in place. So how has one of the most peaceful countries in Latin America become one of the most violent? Sharing borders with South America’s top two cocaine producing countries, Columbia and Peru, Ecuador is ideally placed for drug traffickers wanting to ship cocaine to the US and Europe. And as a major exporter of bananas, coffee and cocoa, the nation’s large international ports are the perfect base for global drug smuggling operations. Then came the pandemic, which battered the economy, and allowed Mexican and Colombian cartels to recruit desperate locals into their ranks. Since 2016 Ecuador’s homicide rate has risen by almost 500%. The nation’s now overcrowded prisons are full of cartel members, who wage a deadly war on each other while behind bars, killing hundreds in the process. Ecuador’s security forces have been repeatedly forced to launch huge armed raids into the prisons to rescue guards and restore order. As disorder has spread, and following the assassination of several politicians, Ecuador’s government has ‘declared war’ on the cartels. With the gang that raided the TV station threatening to execute anyone found on the streets after 11pm, there are fears that this escalation will lead to a fresh wave of violence and chaos across Ecuador. 'What's Behind Ecuador's Cartel War?' #ecuador #cartel #southamerica Some user-generated footage used in this video cannot be fully verified. Subscribe here: http://bit.ly/ODNsubs TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ondemandnews Twitter: https://twitter.com/ODN Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ODN/ If you wish to purchase any of our clips for commercial use, please visit: http://www.itnproductions.co.uk/news/