Gunmen kill at least 7 in rural Ecuador attack

Armed men disguised as soldiers killed at least seven people when they stormed a rural property in Ecuador’s Manabi province early Monday morning, police said. The attackers fired bullets at the victims, including three adult brothers, according to authorities. The assault marks the latest in a wave of drug-related violence that has pushed Ecuador’s homicide rate to historic levels.

The violence reflects a broader crisis stemming from Mexican and Colombian drug organizations’ competition for control of Ecuador’s ports and trafficking routes used to ship cocaine to the United States. Civilian populations, including residents of rural areas, have increasingly become caught in the crossfire as traffickers battle for dominance.

Homicides Reach Historic Levels

Ecuador’s homicide rate has quintupled since 2020. Police recorded 50 homicides per 100,000 residents last year — the nation’s highest rate in recent history — according to the country’s Interior Ministry. The nation documented more than 9,000 homicides over the same period, with most concentrated in coastal provinces where drug trafficking infrastructure is most developed.

State of Emergency and Diplomatic Tensions

In January, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa declared a state of emergency in seven provinces in response to the violence. The declaration enables police to conduct home searches without warrants and authorizes the military to patrol urban areas. Noboa has blamed Colombia’s government for contributing to the violence, arguing that it has not done enough to control rebel groups and drug traffickers operating along the countries’ shared border. Colombia has denied the accusations, which recently escalated into a trade dispute between the neighboring nations.

Trafficking Routes in Coastal Provinces

The coastal provinces of Guayas, Manabi, and Esmeraldas account for the majority of Ecuador’s homicides, concentrating the violence in regions where cocaine shipment routes terminate at ports bound for the United States.

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