How Ecuador went from tourist haven to a nation in the grip of gangs - BBC News

Ecuador used to be one of Latin America's safest countries but has struggled to cope with escalating violence.

1 day agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage caption, Paul has been in a gang for around half his life, since he was 15By Ana María Roura, Daniel Wittenberg & Blanca MoncadaBBC News Mundo, Guayaquil "Things are dangerous right now. Death can come from anywhere," Paul tells us. Small, skinny and about 30 years old, he is a member of one of Ecuador's most violent criminal gangs.

He believes he has been on a rival group's hit list for a year and a half and the only reason he is still alive is thanks to his mother's prayers: "It's like God doesn't want me up above, and the devil won't take me down below."

Paul (not his real name) explains he has spent about half of his life in the gang. Like many, he joined young, when he was 15. He thought it was going to be all "raves, parties, and girls".

As we talk, we drive around Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city. Paul is afraid that if he stays still too long, his enemies from rival gangs - which are waging a bloody turf war - will catch up with him. So we keep moving to make it harder for anyone to follow us.

"I wanted respect," he says about his reasons for joining one of the up to 20 gangs which have contributed to the violence that has changed the face of Ecuador.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-68778773

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