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Gang violence in Ecuador drives more than 300,000 to flee homes

In Guayaquil’s Nueva Prosperina district, fighting between Los Tiguerones factions killed 22 people last year, according to residents and police cited by Reuters.

Reported · Written up by our desk · Emerging Markets

Gang violence in Ecuador has forced thousands of families to abandon their homes, as rising clashes between gang factions spread across neighborhoods, stripping houses for drug money and using some properties to hide kidnapping victims, according to residents and police cited by Reuters.

Reuters reported that in Guayaquil’s Nueva Prosperina district, fighting between factions of the Los Tiguerones gang killed 22 people last year. One 66-year-old resident described bullets hitting rooftops, which led her to leave a housing development where she had lived for nearly 20 years, after fearing attacks on her family and risks of recruitment of relatives.

The report said more than 300,000 people in Ecuador have left their homes over the past three years due to violence, including death threats, extortion, recruitment by criminal groups, or the murder of relatives, citing the UN Refugee Agency and the Ombudsman’s Office.

Advocates told Reuters that the true figure could be higher than official counts.

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