At least six people were killed and four others injured in a fresh massacre that shook Ecuador on Wednesday, reportedly carried out by a criminal gang, according to local authorities.
The latest slaughter unfolded inside a residence in Durán, a city within the Guayaquil metropolitan area known for high violence. Local analyses note that criminal groups often repurpose properties as cocaine warehouses bound for ports and then onward to Europe and North America.
According to regional outlets, a group of armed men stormed the home, opened fire on occupants, and then disappeared.
Durán’s city government figures show rising pressures from organized crime, with officials stating that authorities must pursue serious, credible solutions rather than engage in political posturing or empty threats. A city council member, Hugo Obando, massaged the situation on social media, noting that the annual death toll has already reached 270 and urging accountability.
The criminal gangs’ grip even threatens Durán’s leadership. The municipal mayor, Luis Chonillo, has faced grave intimidation after surviving a previous assassination attempt as he prepared to address the council. The attack left two police officers and one bystander dead and forced the mayor to flee on foot after a vehicle crash, seeking refuge in a nearby residence.
Data show Ecuador became the first Latin American country to record a homicide rate per capita reaching 47.2 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2023, up eightfold since 2016. Analysts attribute this surge largely to intensified drug trafficking operations, though illegal mining has also drawn criminal groups deeper into violence.
Since the start of the year, President Daniel Noboa has elevated the fight against organized crime to the status of an internal armed conflict. He has described these gangs as terrorist and non-state belligerent actors, announced a state of emergency, and moved to militarize prisons. Official data indicate violent deaths nationwide declined by about 17 percent in 2024 versus 2023, yet episodes of criminal violence persist, with ongoing reports of kidnappings and extortion.