Watch

How drug gangs turned an Ecuadorean city into the murder capital of the world

Published
A special report from the city dubbed the murder capital of the world. It is Duran in Ecuador where the homicide rate has rocketed in the last five years, driven by narco-trafficking crime. In 2023, there were 453 murders. In January, President Daniel Noboa declared a national state of emergency, authorising military action against criminal gangs. A new state of emergency has been declared in five provinces - the most dangerous of which is Guayas, and its second largest city, Duran. It's from there that SBS correspondent Prue Lewarne sent this report.
Tags
World
Share

Recommended for you

Senator Jacqui Lambie at a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra
A crowd of people clapping, many holding up yellow signs that say 'Vote 1 Trumpet of Patriots'.
A stylised image of Peter Dutton with black-and-white photos of him alongside other leaders and workers in the background.
The Great Hall in Parliament House with a person walking through it.
Adam Bandt speaking into a microphone in a room with green lighting.
A man wearing a suit and tie points his index finger at a press conference
A split image showing two groups of demonstrators, a pro-Pakistani group on the left and pro-Indian group on the right. Each bear the flags of their respective nations.
A split image. On the left are tradespeople on the roof of a home that is under construction. In the middle is Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, wearing a suit, tie and glasses, speaking while standing at a lectern. On the right is a woman opening her wallet in which there is $50, $20, and $10 notes.