Ecuador President declares state of emergency after five police officers killed

Family members of inmates react during ongoing prisoner transfers, part of a government plan to reduce overcrowding in the country's prisons, in Guayaquil, Ecuador, Nov. 1, 2022. [Courtesy, VOA]

At least five Ecuadorean police officers were killed on Tuesday in explosive attacks in response to prisoner transfers from overcrowded and violent penitentiaries, prompting President Guillermo Lasso to declare a state of emergency in two provinces.

Lasso, a conservative, has repeatedly blamed violence, including inside prisons, on drug gang retaliation for his government's efforts to combat the trade.