Back-to-Back Ecuador Prison Riots Leave at Least 31 Dead
Two deadly back-to-back prison riots Sunday at a penitentiary in Machala, Ecuador left at least 31 inmates dead and dozens injured, local authorities reported.

Two deadly back-to-back prison riots Sunday at a penitentiary in Machala, Ecuador left at least 31 inmates dead and dozens injured, local authorities reported.

President of Ecuador Daniel Noboa on Wednesday vowed to curb U.S.-bound drug trafficking routes coming from the coastal provinces of Manabí and Santa Elena during Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Sec. Kristi Noem’s visit to the country.

President Donald Trump celebrated on Monday alongside the ruling conservatives of Argentina following their surprise landslide win in the midterm elections this weekend. It was the latest in a string of conservative electoral successes in the Western Hemisphere fueled in part by Trump’s return.

Violent rioters in Ecuador on Sunday assaulted a convoy loaded with humanitarian aid led by President Daniel Noboa in the province of Imbabura amid fierce anti-government protests over the end of fuel subsidies, according to the Ecuadorian government.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil on Thursday accused Secretary of State Marco Rubio of using “Nazi logic” to reject the United Nations’ glowing review of Venezuela as a country “free of illicit crops and combats drug trafficking with exemplary effectiveness.”

Greek police said Sunday they seized over 270 kilograms (595 pounds) of cocaine with an estimated value of over 5.5 million euros ($6.5 million) and arrested three men.

The Foreign Ministry of Ukraine announced on Monday that it had plans to open four new embassies in Latin America by the end of the year and over ten new consular offices in Europe – in part at the expense of Ukraine’s embassy in Cuba.

Ecuador’s Public Prosecutor’s Office this week launched an investigation into leftist lawmaker Joseph Santiago Díaz for allegedly raping a 12-year-old girl, local outlets reported.

The Trump effect appears to have spread to Ecuador as authorities there arrested one of their most significant, violent drug lords.

Ecuador’s Production and Foreign Trade Ministry announced on Monday all packages shipped from China by companies such as Temu and Shein under a specialized personal courier shipping modality will be subject to a $20 tariff.

Pope Leo XIV authorized the recognition of Spanish Monsignor Alejandro Labaca Ugarte, Colombian Sister Inés Arango Velásquez, and Indian Bishop Matthew Makil as Venerables, the Catholic News Agency (CNA) reported on Tuesday.

A poll conducted by the Argentina-based research agency CB Consultora Opinión Pública found that Presidents Daniel Noboa of Ecuador and Javier Milei of Argentina stand as the two top-ranked heads of state in South America, the Argentine newspaper Clarín reported on Wednesday.

A Chinese secret police station in Quito appears to continue operating in Ecuador despite having been “shut down” in May 2024, several outlets reported this week.

Catholics across Latin America are observing this year’s Good Friday by participating in numerous processions and activities, honoring their respective countries’ Catholic traditions, some of which stand out as unique among themselves.

President of Ecuador Daniel Noboa, who was reelected for a second term on Sunday, reiterated on Tuesday his goal of establishing a security alliance with U.S. President Donald Trump to receive “real help” to fight crime.

President of Ecuador Daniel Noboa was reelected for a 4-year term in a runoff election Sunday, defeating establishment socialist candidate Luisa González.

Incumbent President of Ecuador Daniel Noboa and establishment socialist candidate Luisa González on Thursday closed their respective campaigns ahead of Sunday’s highly polarized runoff election.

President of Ecuador Daniel Noboa said on Tuesday that he asked President Donald Trump in a private meeting for U.S. military operations to combat drug trafficking in the South American nation.

Incumbent President of Ecuador Daniel Noboa and establishment socialist candidate Luisa González clashed in a heated presidential debate on Sunday ahead of the April 13 runoff election.

President of Ecuador Daniel Noboa claimed on Tuesday that there were “many irregularities” in the 2025 general election on Sunday, in which he narrowly defeated establishment socialist candidate Luisa González in the first round.

Incumbent President of Ecuador Daniel Noboa narrowly defeated establishment socialist candidate Luisa González on Sunday in the first round of the nation’s 2025 presidential elections.

President of Ecuador Daniel Noboa announced on Monday that his country will impose a 27 percent tariff on Mexican goods to ensure “fair treatment” of Ecuadorian producers.

Ecuador is preparing to hold a general election on February 9 to choose the next president, vice president, and members of the National Assembly for the next four years.

The world made dramatic political shifts in 2024, a year unusually full of game-changing federal elections, including in America.

An illegal alien, wanted in Ecuador for his ties to the rape of a child, was released into the United States by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

President of Ecuador Daniel Noboa abruptly canceled his address to the United Nations General Assembly, scheduled for Wednesday, to return home in response to raging forest fires in the capital city of Quito.

The governments of Colombia and Peru reportedly began plans on Tuesday to reinforce their borders out of concern that the ongoing political chaos in Venezuela – triggered by a sham presidential election the White House pressured the country to hold – will prompt a new wave of mass migration.

Ecuador’s Navy announced the start of a campaign to protect the Galápagos Islands from Chinese illegal fishing vessels.

An Oklahoma police K-9 dog is being called a “hero” after using his nose to sniff out evidence against an alleged child predator in Ecuador.

A court in Ecuador sentenced five men and women to prison over the weekend for their participation in the assassination of anti-socialist and anti-China presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in August 2023.

Ecuador’s Vice Minister of Government Esteban Torres claimed that lawmakers are seeking to impeach President Daniel Noboa.

Ecuador suffered a nationwide power blackout on Wednesday afternoon, leaving the entire country and its 17 million citizens without power.

Ecuador will reinstate entry visa requirements for Chinese nationals after documenting a “worrying” increase in illegal immigration.

A migrant from Ecuador, released into the United States by President Joe Biden’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is now accused of raping a 13-year-old girl at knifepoint in broad daylight in the sanctuary city of New York City.

Thousands of Chinese migrants are using Ecuador as a crucial starting point in South America that allows them to eventually reach the United States to claim asylum, according to a report published by the Argentine news outlet Infobae on Sunday.

An Ecuadoran national was allowed to visit the United States on a visa despite being wanted for rape in his native country, federal officials reveal.

Millions in Ecuador overwhelmingly approved security measures that President Daniel Noboa proposed to fight rampant gang violence.

Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador ordered an end to all diplomatic relations with Ecuador soon after police forces from that country stormed the Mexican Embassy.

Police authorities found the mayor of San Vicente, Ecuador, Brigitte García shot dead on Sunday alongside her communications director, Jairo Loor.

The persistent threat of an invasive fleet of illegal Chinese fishing ships in Latin American waters is depleting fish stocks.
