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2mo ago

22 Killed in Gang Violence in Ecuador's Guayaquil

President Noboa grants blanket pardons to security forces as the country battles escalating drug cartel violence ahead of a presidential runoff election.

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Police display to the press the weapons they say they seized in an operation related to the previous day's massacre in Guayaquil, Ecuador, Friday, March 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Cesar Munoz)
People look at the body of a woman found in the neighborhood where at least 22 people were killed on the eve in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on March 7, 2025. Rival factions of an Ecuadoran drug trafficking gang fought Thursday in the violent port city of Guayaquil, leaving at least 22 people dead, officials said.
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Overview

  • Clashes between rival factions of the Los Tiguerones gang in Guayaquil left 22 dead and several others injured, with violence erupting over territorial disputes.
  • Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa preemptively pardoned security forces operating in the area, urging them to act decisively without fear of reprisal.
  • Authorities conducted raids in response, arresting 14 individuals and seizing weapons and ammunition in the Nueva Prosperina neighborhood.
  • Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city, has become a hotspot for cartel-related violence as the country grapples with surging homicide rates linked to the drug trade.
  • The violence occurs as Noboa campaigns for re-election, emphasizing a hardline approach to combating cartels, while his opponent, Luisa Gonzalez, criticizes human rights abuses tied to these efforts.