In the last few hours, violence has exploded on the streets of Ecuador, as armed groups began to take over prisons, educational centers and even a television channel, the images of which quickly went viral on social networks. In response, the president of the South American country signed an executive decree declaring an Internal Armed Conflict in Ecuador.

Daniel Noboa, the youngest president in the history of the country, has authorized the Armed Forces to "execute military operations to neutralize these groups."

Through his X account, formerly Twitter, the president also identified the criminal groups targeted by the decree.

"I have signed the executive decree declaring Internal Armed Conflict and identified the following transnational organized crime groups as terrorist organizations and belligerent non-state actors: Águilas, ÁguilasKiller, Ak47, Caballeros Oscuros, ChoneKiller, Choneros, Covicheros, Cuartel de las Feas, Cubanos, Fatales, Gánster, Kater Piler, Lagartos, Latin Kings, Lobos, Los p.27, Los Tiburones, Mafia 18, Mafia Trébol, Patrones, R7, Tiguerones," wrote Noboa, who recently came to power after the resignation of his predecessor, Guillermo Lasso.

Violence takes over Ecuador

Perhaps in one of the most striking images of recent times in Latin America, a group of armed and hooded men violently entered the Gamavisión channel headquarters, where they kidnapped workers and threatened them with weapons and explosives.

The host of one of the programs was targeted live and even had an explosive placed in his pockets, further increasing the tension of the moment.

In addition, another criminal group broke into the University of Guayaquil, where they locked students and professors in classrooms. In images shared through social networks, university students can be seen running on campus, trying to flee from the criminals.