"Ecuador's Chaos: Prison Breaks, TV Studio Takeover, and Declared Internal Armed Conflict"

Ecuador has been plunged into chaos and bloodshed as violence linked to drug trafficking has soared, prompting President Daniel Noboa to declare a state of "internal armed conflict" and designate 20 drug trafficking gangs as terrorist groups. The country's most notorious gang leader and druglord, Adolfo Macías, escaped from prison, leading to a wave of attacks inside and outside prisons. The surge in violence has led many Ecuadoreans to flee the country, with tens of thousands heading north via the perilous Darién Gap. The rising violence is driven by competition between local crime gangs, who have learned brutal tactics from rival Mexican drug cartels.