Ecuador’s president on Monday declared a state of emergency in the country for sixty days after the escape of Adolfo Macías, known as “Fito,” the leader of the Los Choneros, one of the most powerful gangs in the country, vanished from prison on January 7 which triggered riots at six correctional facilities across the country.
Macías, 44, was reported missing on Sunday right before he was to be transferred to a maximum security facility in the city of Guayaquil. He had been serving a 34-year sentence since 2011 for drug trafficking, murder, and organized crime.
Decree 110, signed by President Daniel Noboa, declared an emergency that suspended the right of assembly and imposed a night curfew from 11 PM to 5 AM. Health services, public security forces, public servants, strategic sector workers, social media workers and other such emergency services have been exempted from the night curfew. The decree also gave the army the impunity to act to control internal security, especially in prisons. Freedom of assembly inside all “deprivation of liberty centers” would be restricted; further, searches of vehicles found within one kilometer of the detention center can be carried out.
This is the first emergency under President Noboa, who took office in October 2023. In a video posted on social media, he said, “We are not going to negotiate with terrorists nor will we rest until we return peace to Ecuadorians.” He further stressed that he has “given clear and precise provisions to military and police commanders to intervene in the control of prisons” and urged the citizens to support the actions of the army personnel.
Post the escape of Macías, the country witnessed a series of violent attacks, encompassing the murder of a former soccer leader in Machala, the robbery of a musical band, and riots in prison.
Following the escape of Fito, the Municipality of Guayaquil reinforced its security. Preventive controls with elite groups, vans and constant surveillance have been initiated in the city. National Service for Comprehensive Attention to Persons Deprived of Liberty (SNAI) issued a statement on January 8 stating it filed a complaint in Guayaquil regarding his disappearance from a Guayaquil penitentiary center last Sunday and referred to the escape as an “alleged evasion.”
