Clashes between rival criminal groups in Ecuador’s Guayaquil, a city at the centre of the nation’s battle with narco gangs, left 14 people dead over the weekend, including a minor.
One of the deadliest incidents saw gunmen on motorcycles open fire on a crowd outside a grocery store, killing six adults and a child.
The violence, which has shocked the nation, comes amidst escalating tensions as Ecuador grapples with the rise of transnational drug cartels using its ports to traffic cocaine to the US and Europe.
In response to the violence, Guayaquil remains under a state of emergency, a measure in place since January to tackle the surge in criminal activity.
Guayaquil, which has become a focal point for drug violence, saw a rise in homicides, which have soared in recent years due to the influence of criminal organisations.
Despite a slight drop in homicides since President Daniel Noboa’s military crackdown began, the violence continues to claim lives and challenge efforts to restore order.
