via Human Rights Watch News — Click to expand Image A farmer walks amidst rubble after a bomb was dropped by the Ecuadorian army in the Lago Agrio region, Sucumbíos province, Ecuador, on the border with Colombia, on March 18, 2026. Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa presented the operation to the press as the first airstrike in the “joint operations” with Washington against drug trafficking, announcing the destruction of an alleged training camp belonging to the Border Commands, an armed group. © 2026 Luis Acosta / AFP via Ge

At least 15 inmates were killed and 14 others wounded in clashes between inmates at Ecuador's largest prison.

27 minutes agoIone WellsSouth America correspondentReporting fromGuayaquil, EcuadorIone WellsSouth America correspondentReporting fromGuayaquil, EcuadorSecurity is a central issue in the presidential election as the country is plagued by gang violence"The entire town feels like it is in a pandemic, locked up without being able to go out and enjoy our lives due to violence." That is how "Jorge" - not his real name - feels about his neighbourhood of Guayaquil, a city in southern Ecuador. His father, Marcos Elías León Maruri, was kidnapped there by the Los Tiguerones gang. A person is killed every two hours in Ecuador and seven are kidnapped daily, according to government figures. That's why security is the top issue for voters ahead of the first round of the presidential election on Sunday, in which incumbent Daniel Noboa is being challenged by 15 other candidates. Whoever wins will be tasked with restoring security to the country, which has gone from being one of the..

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa defended his government’s US-backed security strategy and pledged to intensify operations against criminal networks during his