ECUADOR-PRISON-CRIME-VIOLENCE-SECURITY

Members of the Ecuadorean Armed Forces stand guard outside the Zonal Penitentiary No 8 in Guayaquil, Ecuador, during a joint operation between the Police and the Military on August 12, 2023. A 4.000-stong joint force carried out a security operation in the prison in the framework of the state of emergency declared in the country on August 10, following the assassination of popular presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. The leader of one of Ecuador's most powerful criminal groups, Los Choneros, known as 'Fito', is incarcerated at the penitentiary. (Photo by Gerardo MENOSCAL / AFP) (Photo by GERARDO MENOSCAL/AFP via Getty Images)