Ecuadorian president Daniel Noboa declared a state of emergency on Monday after a gang leader escaped from prison.
The leader deemed the action, which will see citizens’ rights suspended and the military mobilised, necessary to combat the rising violence in the South American country.
On January 10, masked gunmen stormed a state-owned TV news station and threatened to shoot presenters. Police seized back control of TC Television but the events escalated with César Suárez, the prosecutor investigating the storming, being shot dead on Wednesday.
Mr Noboa has ordered the army to "neutralise" 20 drug gangs with heavily armed mobsters parading hostages and threatening to execute anyone found on the streets at night.
So far, more than 300 have been arrested and he has challenged the gangs to fight the Ecuadorian soldiers rather than target civilians.
It represents a huge test for Mr Noboa, who has only been in the job since October, when he won an election on a mandate of bringing peace to Ecuador.
Who is Daniel Noboa?
Mr Noboa is a former businessman who became the country’s youngest ever leader after winning the election with 52.1 per cent of the vote.
As leader of the National Democratic Action party, he will be in power until May 2025. The Ecuadorian term was cut short after former president Guillermo Lasso was impeached. There will be a full election in 18 months’ time.
Mr Noboa is the son of banana tycoon Álvaro Noboa, who has also run several times to be president but was unsuccessful.
The 36-year-old’s political career only began in 2021, when he got a seat in the National Assembly and chaired its Economic Development Commission. His campaign was focused on job creation, tax incentives for newly established businesses, and increased criminal sentences for tax evaders.
Upon being elected, Mr Noboa said his aim is “to return peace to the country, to give education to the youth again, to be able to provide employment to the many people who are looking for it".
As for his private life, Mr Noboa is married to nutrition influencer Lavinia Valbonesi. He is the father of two children, with a third on the way.
What is Daniel Noboa’s net worth?
Forbes magazine has estimated the Noboa family has assets worth $300 million (£246 million) in holding company Fruit Shippers Ltd alone. Alvaro Noboa has said his combined wealth is worth more than $1 billion (£820 million).
It is unclear how much of this is personally owned by Daniel Noboa.
What does Daniel Noboa own?
Mr Noboa’s father Alvaro is the richest man in Ecuador thanks to a conglomerate that started in the growing and shipping of bananas – Ecuador’s main crop.
The corporation began as a banana trade but now includes more than 128 companies in dozens of countries.
