No ‘clear way out’: How Ecuador descended into gang violence

Experts trace the root causes of Ecuador’s spiralling violence, as President Daniel Noboa leads a crackdown on gangs.

Paulina Guaman’s life is no longer the same. The young Ecuadorian dentist has been obliged to make changes to her daily routine, in the hope of keeping danger at bay.

“Life has changed completely. I feel fear living in Ecuador,” Guaman, who lives in the city of Cuenca, told Al Jazeera.

“I no longer answer the phone with the same confidence as before. Businesses don’t open the way they used to. [I’m scared] of not being able to continue working because someone might come to extort me.”

Guaman’s situation reflects a widespread fear felt by many Ecuadorians, as the country finds itself in the grips of a years-long crime surge.

Once considered an “island of peace” in Latin America, the Andean nation is now battling to rid itself of the criminal gangs that rule unchecked in large parts of the country.