Ecuador Plunges Into All-Out Gang Warfare, President Calls on Military to ‘Neutralize’ Chaos

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa has ordered the country's police and military to "neutralize" a growing wave of narco violence that has swept across the South American country, as prison guards are held hostage and armed cartel gunmen run rampant through the streets.

Noboa said on Tuesday that Ecuador was amidst an "internal armed conflict" and that he ordered "military operations to neutralize" against what he described as "transnational organized crime, terrorist organizations, and belligerent non-state actors," according to a report from BBC.

The directive from Ecuador's leader comes after a group of masked gunmen stormed a public television studio during a live news broadcast on Tuesday.

During the assault, one gunman aimed a pump-action shotgun at the head of one captive, as another masked man threatened him with a pistol.