the gang was soon arrested and the hostages released, but the tv station ambush was just part of the descent into chaos. panic as gunmen stormed guayaquil university, explosions around the country, schools and businesses shut down and widespread rioting inside ecuador s prisons. in response, president daniel noboa called a state of emergency and imposed a curfew. by decree, he designated 22 gangs, terrorist organiations and ordered the military to, as he put it, neutralise them. translation: we are practically living in a state of war against terrorism. these are not organised crime groups, they are terrorists who are financed by drug trafficking, trafficking in people, organs and arms. president noboa says that ecuador is now engaged