Gunmen came on live TV, pointed gun at the anchor, why did the war break out between criminal groups and the government in Ecuador?

A group of masked and armed gunmen attacked a television studio in the Ecuadorian city of Guayaquil and intimidated staff during a live broadcast, threatening to kill security forces and civilians. Shocking videos of the incident went viral on social media in which employees of TV channel ‘TC’ can be seen being forced to the floor by the attackers.

In a video, the employee can be heard screaming in pain. The studio lights were turned off but the live broadcast continued. Another man was heard saying, “Don’t shoot, please don’t shoot.” Meanwhile, a TC employee told news agency AFP in a WhatsApp message that they had come to kill us. Oh God, this should not happen. The criminals are rampant. After about 30 minutes, police officers entered the studio to free the staff members and arrested 13 gunmen. The officials also recovered several weapons from the infiltrators.

Why did this situation arise?

This comes as Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa has recently declared a state of emergency for 60 days following the escape from prison of Adolfo Macias alias Fito, one of Ecuador’s most powerful criminal bosses. Naboa also ordered the armed forces to conduct military operations to neutralize the armed groups. In response to the President’s actions, gangsters also kidnapped police officers and detonated explosives in several cities.