ecuadors-escalating-security-crisis-a-nation-plagued-by-uncontrolled-violence

Once-peaceful Ecuador has descended into a wave of uncontrolled violence as if cursed by a malevolent fog. The security breakdown plaguing the country has spread from prisons onto the streets where bloodshed is now common. Beyond two high-profile political assassinations, the nation has lost control of its jails, which are now governed by criminal gangs engaged in constant brutality.The South American nation faces a dire security crisis that has intensified under President Guillermo Lasso, explains prominent Guayaquil Constitutional Attorney José Antonio Chiriboga, speaking exclusively to THE WEEK. The Lasso administration has allowed criminal groups to gain control, says Chiriboga. "On the streets, cartels battle for territory, causing collateral deaths of innocent people."Over 400 inmates have been killed behind bars since 2021, many in grisly massacres including the murder of 79 inmates in February 2021. In July this year, 31 more were killed in a pen