Ecuador

Ecuador has officially abandoned its plans to send Soviet-style weapons to the United States, which were intended for transfer to Ukraine, citing its stance on international armed conflicts. The decision was announced by Gabriela Sommerfeld, the foreign minister of Ecuador, as reported by Deutsche Welle.

Russia called that move a "reckless" violation of the treaty, RIA reported.
Ecuador's government said last month it would accept an offer from Washington to exchange what it called "Ukrainian and Russian scrap metal" for advanced US equipment worth $200 million.

Ecuador on Monday announced the arrest of a wanted cocaine trafficker from neighboring Colombia, as President Daniel Noboa said his government's crackdown on gang violence was starting to bear fruit.

Carlos Arturo Landazuri Cortes, a "high-value target," was captured overnight after months of investigations and intelligence work, Ecuador's police chief Cesar Augusto Zapata said on X.

Foreign, interior and defense ministers of Andean countries will hold an urgent meeting this weekend to discuss the problem of cross-border drug crime that has plunged Ecuador into a security crisis, Peru's government said on Jan. 15.

Peruvian Prime Minister Alberto Otarola told reporters the meeting in Lima on Jan. 21 will focus on ways to confront transnational crime.

In a harrowing turn of events, Ecuador finds itself in the throes of a declared "state of war" with drug cartels, marking the third consecutive day of a brutal campaign initiated by the criminal organizations. This violent response comes in the wake of a government crackdown on their illegal activities, as reported by AFP.

President Noboa stated that there are many organized criminal groups in the country, which he labeled as terrorist organizations, adding that he ordered the armed forces to carry out military operations to neutralize these groups.

CNN reported a dramatic interruption during a live broadcast at a Guayaquil-based TV network, where hooded and armed individuals forcibly entered the studio, compelling staff onto the floor amidst alarming sounds of gunshots and shouting. The incident occurred at the state-owned TC Television, causing a viral stir on social media as the live stream signal remains offline.

Ecuador's president gave orders Tuesday to "neutralize" criminal gangs after gunmen opened fire in a TV studio and bandits threatened random executions on a second day of terror in the violence-riddled country.

At least 10 people have been killed in a series of attacks blamed on gangs as the country exploded in what President Daniel Noboa called an "internal armed conflict".

Leftist frontrunner Luisa Gonzalez looked set to take on a surprise candidate, the youthful son of one of Ecuador's richest men, in a run-off election in October, official results showed Sunday.

Gonzalez, a lawyer close to divisive former socialist president Rafael Correa, was leading with 33 percent of the vote, as 80 percent of the vote was counted.

The running mate of slain Ecuadoran candidate Fernando Villavicencio will run for president in his place in August 20 elections, their party said Saturday.

"The movement will replace the presidential ticket by putting Andrea Gonzalez as president," the centrist Construye party said in a statement.