Watch the meeting with John Moore, moderated by Caroline Laurent-Simon https://cloud.imagesevidence.com/index.php/s/SBxfYMT4nTEpMdj

In Ecuador, the armed forces and police made thousands of arrests nationwide after President Daniel Noboa declared a state of emergency in early 2024 to fight surging violence and extortion by gangs, a situation which had given Ecuador the highest per capita homicide rate in Latin America. With the president declaring an “internal armed conflict,” the country’s security forces were granted extended powers to battle the powerful gangs that were officially labeled as terrorist organizations. The conflict had become shockingly clear to the world when hooded gang members took over a television station in Guayaquil during a live broadcast.

Getty Images special correspondent John Moore traveled to Ecuador in February 2024 to document the country’s response to the gang crisis. He obtained rare access to military and police raids in Guayaquil and in Esmeraldas province, entering neighborhoods previously controlled by armed gangs. He documented arrests as authorities seized weapons and searched for drugs and contraband. During one raid he photographed police kicking and beating men taken into custody, but was asked to leave when officers began to interrogate the suspects.

In recent years, because of the violence, Carnival celebrations had been suspended in much of the country, in particular in coastal areas. Extortion and death threats had caused many coastal residents to flee. In the month after the state of emergency was declared, crime dropped and authorities in Esmeraldas province authorized Carnival events: people came out to celebrate while uniformed soldiers patrolled the beaches.

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