Almost 30 buildings, including five hospitals, were attacked in the Ecuadorian city of Guayaquil, unknown people tried to take hostages, the Primicias newspaper reports.
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“In Guayaquil on January 9, the target of a criminal attack was 29 buildings, including five hospitals, where the criminals tried to take hostages,” the publication said.
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According to Primicias, due to the current situation in the country, several businesses and buildings in the center of Guayaquil closed earlier than usual on Tuesday. Government agencies and media units told their staff to evacuate.
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Earlier, Ecuadorian police reported that at least ten people, including two police officers, were killed during unrest in Ecuadorian Guayaquil and the neighboring city of Nobol.
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After a series of prison riots and the escape of major gang leaders, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa declared a 60-day state of emergency to use the armed forces to regain control of the penitentiary system.
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The government’s actions caused a wave of unrest in the country’s cities: on Tuesday night, criminals began to burn cars and buses, and improvised explosive device explosions were recorded in Guayaquil. Police said unknown assailants kidnapped seven police officers in the capital Quito and the city of Machala in less than 24 hours. Three officers from Machala were later released alive.
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On Tuesday, Noboa declared the country into internal armed conflict and ordered the army to “neutralize” 22 criminal gangs numbering tens of thousands of members. The head of the joint command of the armed forces of Ecuador, Jaime Vela Eraso, following a meeting of the security council, declared these criminal groups military targets and said that there would be no negotiations with them.
