Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa on Tuesday declared his country in a state of “internal armed conflict” and ordered the “neutralization” of organized crime gangs mainly involved in drug trafficking, in a new executive order he released.

The presidential decree refers to an “internal armed conflict” and orders “the mobilization and intervention of the armed forces and the police” to “guarantee national sovereignty and territorial integrity against organized crime, terrorist organizations and non-state combatants ».

President Noboa also orders by decree the “neutralization” of all gangs, quoting an exhaustive list: he refers to over twenty organizations, the “Águilas, ÁguilasKiller, AK47, Caballeros Oscuros, ChoneKiller, Choneros, Covicheros, Cuartel de las Feas, Cubanos , Fatales, Gánster, Kater Piler, Lagartos, Latin Kings, Lobos, Los p.27, Los Tiburones, Mafia 18, Mafia Trébol, Patrones, R7, Tiguerones’.

Many of these gangs, some of which until a few years ago simply engaged in petty street crime, have gradually transformed into bloodthirsty, ruthless power players in international drug trafficking with tentacles abroad, as Ecuador has become a major transit hub for of cocaine produced in its neighboring states of Peru and Colombia. The country is now torn apart by gang violence.

The No. 1 public danger, according to authorities, the leader of the “Tsoneros” — a gang with about 8,000 members, according to experts — Adolfo Masias, or “Fito,” escaped from a prison in Guayaquil on Sunday, triggering a security crisis without predecessor in the country, the biggest challenge of the tenure of the young president Noboa (36 years old), the son of a tycoon who was elected in November with the main promise of restoring security.

The head of state noted in the last paragraph of his decree the need for the armed forces to act respecting “international humanitarian law” and respecting “human rights”.