Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa reelected as cartel violence escalates

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa was reelected for a four-year term after a campaign defined by a worsening security situation in the country.

At the top of Noboa’s agenda will be tackling soaring murder rates in Ecuador, which has gone from a regional “island of peace” a decade ago to one of the most violent nations in the world as drug cartels have ramped up their fight for control of valuable trade routes.

A recent surge in cocaine production in neighboring Colombia and Peru has further intensified clashes between cartels.

In response, Noboa has promised a tough-on-crime approach modeled on that taken in El Salvador, which has managed to lower murder rates but at the expense of mass human rights abuses.