A few days ago, more than a dozen gunmen, some of them carrying grenades, stormed a television station in Ecuador. You might have seen some of the dramatic footage on social media. The attackers delivered this message: “We are on air, so you know that you cannot mess with the mafia.” And in Ecuador, that appears to be true.
Just a few years ago, Ecuador was among the safest countries in all of Latin America. But beginning in 2020, that began to change — and it changed very quickly. From 2020 to 2022, the murder rate in Ecuador jumped by nearly 250%. Political candidates now routinely get shot in the streets. Car bombings aren’t uncommon. Just last year, a leading presidential candidate was gunned down leaving a campaign rally.
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