On Tuesday, a prison guard was murdered when he was heading home after finishing his work shift, according to the National Service for Prisoners (SNAI), the institution that controls Ecuadorian prisons.
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This murder occurs in the midst of a 60-day state of emergency issued by President Daniel Noboa, who established a decree defining the prevailing situation in this country as an "internal armed conflict."
This definition allows the Ecuadorian government to take the armed forces to the streets to combat armed groups linked to international drug trafficking, which are currently considered "terrorist" groups.
Today's murdered guard worked in a prison in Sucumbios, a province located in the Amazon region and border with Colombia, a country where coca crops are protected by armed groups.
His death is part of the wave of violence that broke out last week when inmates at seven prisons rioted, kidnapping nearly 200 guards and public officials. Although many of those hostages have already been released, one of them was murdered.
During the first seven days after the declaration of "Internal Armed Conflict", the Ecuadorian authorities have detained 1,753 people, 158 of whom were arrested for the alleged commission of terrorist acts.
From January 9, the Armed Forces and Police also claim to have killed five members of armed organizations linked to international drug trafficking.