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A woman in a hat and poncho holds a baton in the foreground as people hold up the Ecuadorian flag in the background
Image: Santiago Arcos/REUTERSImage: Santiago Arcos/REUTERS

Ecuador

Ecuador is country located in South America with a population of over 17 million. It straddles the equator and comprises a diverse and rich environmental landscape, including the Galapagos Islands.

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All Content on this topic

A policeman guards marijuana packages seized in Guayaquil, Ecuador

Ecuador tackles growing influence of drug cartels

Drug trafficking is a billion-dollar industry in Ecuador, run by networks of international cartels.
CrimeOctober 11, 202406:57 min
DW "Global Us" Sendungslogo Composite

Rise of drug cartels in Ecuador

Drug cartels in Ecuador are gaining influence, and why forest dieback could lead to healthier ecosystems.
BusinessOctober 11, 202426:04 min
DW Dokumentationen | Kaffee mit Zukunft

The future of coffee

Climate change could halve the amount of land suitable for coffee production by 2050.
PoliticsSeptember 30, 202428:34 min
A woman carries a dog amid smoke from fires in the Guapulo neighborhood of Quito, Ecuador

Wildfires threaten Ecuador's capital Quito

Firefighters are battling wildfires on the outskirts of Quito amid Ecuador's worst drought in 6 decades.
ClimateSeptember 25, 202401:43 min
Late presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio waves an Ecuadorian flag at a rally in August 2023

Ecuador court sentences suspects in candidate murder

Of the five convicted, two were sentenced to 34 year in prison for the murder of Fernando Villavicencio.
Law and JusticeJuly 13, 2024
Two buses travel on a main road during a blackout in Quito June 19, 2024. Ecuador blacked out on June 19, due to failures in the supply network, according to Deputy Energy Minister Roberto Luque, affecting strategic services such as telecommunications and the Quito metro.

Ecuador struck by power outage, transmission line blamed

The public works minister blamed lacking recent investment and said "today we are experiencing the consequences."
PoliticsJune 20, 2024
An aerial view of the area hit by a major landslide as rescue activities continue despite heavy rain, in Alausi district of Chimborazo, Ecuador on March 28, 2023.

Ecuador: Several killed in highway landslide

Central and South America have been experiencing heavy rainstorms recently.
CatastropheJune 17, 2024
A man, missing his lower right leg, sits on a bench holding crutches

Ecuador courts set to rule in landmark labor abuse cases

Agricultural workers have said they suffered abuse on plantations producing plant fiber for Japanese company Furukawa.
Human RightsJune 14, 202403:34 min
Ecuador Amazonas 2024 | DW und DW Akademie besuchen Partner

CORAPE: The reality of community media in Amazonia

Representatives of DW and DW Akademie visited community radio stations of the CORAPE network in the Ecuadorian Amazon.
MediaJune 11, 20249 images
People seated in the International Court of Justice in The Hague

ICJ rejects Ecuador request in Mexico diplomatic dispute

Mexico says Ecuador breached international law by raiding its Quito embassy to capture a wanted ex-politician.
Law and JusticeMay 23, 2024
Ecuador soldiers stand and walk around with guns

Ecuador: State of emergency declared in seven provinces

President Daniel Noboa declared a state emergency for 60 days in an effort to curb a rising number of violent deaths.
CrimeMay 23, 2024
Supporters of Panama's presidential candidate Jose Raul Mulino celebrate the first results of the presidential election at his campaign headquarters in the Sheraton Hotel in Panama City on May 5, 2024.

Latin American voters ditch socialism for free enterprise

Panama's recent elections confirm an economic policy shift as voters prefer free enterprise to state interventionism.
BusinessMay 22, 2024
A hand holding an embalmed butterfly

Ecuador: Climate change threatening local butterflies, and therefore humans too

Researchers are studying butterflies in the Amazon region. Their findings are neither surprising nor encouraging.
ClimateApril 28, 20248 images
A polling station coordinator prepares the necessary material for Sunday's referendum on tougher measures against organized crime at a school in Quito

Ecuador prison warden killed as country votes on security

The chief warden of a prison was shot dead in western Ecuador, as a referendum on security measures was underway.
PoliticsApril 22, 2024
Magazin Global Us vom 15.04.2024 | Hausangestellte Spanien

The tough reality of live-in domestic work

Many live-in domestic workers in Spain come from Latin America. Exploitation is rife.
MigrationApril 15, 202406:35 min
A military vehicle transports former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas from the detention center in Quito, Ecuador, Saturday, April 6, 2024.

Ecuador's ex-Vice President Glas returns to prison

Jorge Glas, whose arrest from the Mexican embassy last weekend sparked international outcry, was briefly hospitalized.
PoliticsApril 10, 2024
Ecuador's suspended vice-president Jorge Glas (L) reacts during a hearing of his trial at the headquarters of the National Court of Justice, in Quito, capital of Ecuador, on Dec. 13, 2017.

Ecuador: Ex-vice president hospitalized after embassy raid

Jorge Glas was arrested over the weekend following a rare security raid on the Mexican embassy in Quito.
PoliticsApril 9, 2024
A composite image shows a world map, cocaine and a police officer with a dog

How Europe became addicted to cocaine

Europe's craving for cocaine has made gangs extremely wealthy. But the reality of the drug trade can be devastating.
PoliticsApril 8, 202414:36 min
A military vehicle transports former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas from the detention center where he was held after police broke into the Mexican Embassy to arrest him in Quito, Ecuador, Saturday, April 6, 2024

Ecuador: US, Spain, Honduras slam Mexico embassy raid

Friday's raid at the Mexican embassy in Quito has sparked outrage among global leaders.
Rule of LawApril 7, 2024
Police attempt to break into the Mexican Embassy in Quito, Ecuador.

Ecuador draws outrage after raid on Mexico's Quito embassy

Police forced their way into the embassy to arrest former Ecuadorean Vice President Jorge Glas on corruption charges.
PoliticsApril 7, 202401:36 min
Ecuadorian police breaking into the Mexican Embassy in Quito, Ecuador, Friday, April 5, 2024

Mexico, Nicaragua cut ties with Ecuador after embassy raid

Police stormed the Mexican embassy arresting former Ecuadoran vice president Jorge Glas who was taking refuge there.
PoliticsApril 7, 2024
Security guard in front of entry to Mexican embassy in Quito, Ecuador

Ecuador declares Mexico ambassador persona non grata

The envoy was told to leave due to what Ecuador called "unfortunate" comments from the Mexican president.
PoliticsApril 5, 2024
Underwater image of a diver among fish at the North Seymour Island dive site in the Galapagos archipelago

Greenpeace urges Galapagos high seas protected area

Greenpeace has called for increased protection of the unique underwater world around Ecuador's Galapagos Islands.
Nature and EnvironmentMarch 16, 20248 images
An undated video still showing a researcher from the Netherlands, Freek Vonk, swimming near a large green anaconda in the Amazon. The researchers discovered during their work that the snake, though visually indistinguishable from another known green anaconda species, was in fact a genetically distinct animal that diverged from the other kind millions of years ago.

New species of green anaconda identified in Amazon

Researchers have shown that two genetically very different types of green anaconda exist in the Amazon.
Nature and EnvironmentMarch 1, 2024
Constitutional Court, Ecuador

Ecuador: Court decriminalizes euthanasia in landmark ruling

Verdict comes after a terminally ill patient argued that people with fatal diseases have a right to die with dignity.
HealthFebruary 8, 2024
Argentine authorities transport detained relatives of ecuadorian criminal 'Fito' Macias, in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Argentina seizes, expels family of fugitive drug lord 'Fito'

A massive manhunt for drug trafficker Fito is currently underway in Ecuador and its neighboring countries.
CrimeJanuary 20, 2024
Ecuador Staatsanwalt César Suárez getötet

Two arrested in killing of Ecuadoran prosecutor

The prosecutor was gunned down in his car on the streets of the port city of Guayaquil.
SocietyJanuary 18, 202401:56 min
An Ecuadorian soldier during an operation at a prison in Guayaquil

Ecuador: Two arrested over killing of cartel prosecutor

As Ecuador's war against drug cartels continues, police arrested two suspects over the killing of a key prosecutor.
ConflictsJanuary 18, 2024
A tank in a residential street in Quito

Understanding Ecuador's 'internal armed conflict'

President Noboa is deploying 22,000 soldiers in the war against drug cartels and criminal gangs. Where will this lead?
PoliticsJanuary 14, 2024
Armed police surround a man lying on the gound

Ecuador declares state of emergency amid gang violence surge

Police and military crack down on prison insurrection following the disappearance of incarcerated gang leader.
CrimeJanuary 14, 202402:07 min
A damaged pedestrian bridge

Ecuador: All 178 prison staff held hostage freed

Violence erupted after a state of emergency was declared following a top drug gang leader's escape from prison.
Law and JusticeJanuary 14, 2024
Members of the Armed Forces frisk men during an operation to protect civil security in Quito

Ecuador declares war against drug violence

Thousands of troops and police are searching for a fugitive gang leader, after drug cartels killed at least 16 people.
CrimeJanuary 12, 202402:39 min
Ecuador Gewalt Bandenkriminalität Ausnahmezustand

Ecuador 'at war' with drug gangs amid unprecedented violence

The violence began after a gang leader disappeared from prison, sparking riots and gun battles.
CrimeJanuary 11, 202402:34 min
Soldiers stand guard outside the presidential palace in Quito, Ecuador, following a wave of violence around the nation

Ecuador 'in state of war' against cartels, says president

President Daniel Noboa says Ecuador is 'at war' with drug gangs who are holding over 130 prison guards hostage.
ConflictsJanuary 11, 2024
Soldiers in an armored vehicle patrol Quito's historic center

Ecuador gripped by drug gang violence

Ecuador's president has declared a state of emergency, saying the country has entered an "internal armed conflict."
ConflictsJanuary 10, 202402:24 min
An Ecuadorean soldier stands guard in front of Ecuador's TC television channel after unidentified gunmen burst into the state-owned television studio live on air

Ecuador: Armed intruders take over TV studio live on air

It comes amid a series of attacks, including explosions and the abduction of several police officers.
PoliticsJanuary 10, 2024
Ecuadorian soldiers arrive at the Zonal 8 prison in Guayaquil, Ecuador, for an inspection.

Ecuador: Jailed crime boss vanishes

A manhunt is underway for a drug lord who disappeared from a maximum-security prison.
CrimeJanuary 9, 202402:47 min
Police leaving El Inca prison in Quito after security operation

Ecuador: State of emergency follows drug boss disappearance

Ecuador's new president has declared a 60-day state of emergency after a top drug gang leader vanished from prison.
CrimeJanuary 9, 2024
DW Akademie Media Viability Ambassador

How to survive and thrive in environmental journalism

For the eighth episode of "Survive and Thrive," our guest is Isabela Ponce, co-founder of GK.city from Ecuador.
MediaNovember 25, 2023
A member of the Port Information Unit of the Anti-Narcotics Police checks banana boxes destined to Italy at the port of Guayaquil, Ecuador

How did Ecuador turn into a hub for cocaine?

In the past few years, narco violence exploded in what used to be safe Ecuador. How did things spiral so out of control?
Human RightsOctober 18, 202329:59 min
Daniel Noboa, center, in a white T-shirt, smiling and speaking into a hand-held microphone. His wife stands on his right, and some men are standing behind him.

Daniel Noboa: Hope for Ecuador?

The new president, an entrepreneur and heir to the family fortune, has promised to tackle violent crime. Can he succeed?
PoliticsOctober 18, 2023
Presidential candidate Daniel Noboa, of the National Democratic Action Alliance political party, holds up a ballot after voting in a runoff election in Olon, Ecuado

Ecuador: Daniel Noboa wins presidential election

The center-right businessman will become Ecuador's youngest-ever president but faces formidable challenges.
PoliticsOctober 16, 2023
Members of the forensic police enter the Guayas 1 prison in Guayaquil, Ecuador

Ecuador: Suspects tied to candidate's murder killed in jail

The six inmates were suspected of assassinating Ecuador’s presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in August.
CrimeOctober 7, 2023
People standing on the rooftop of prison facilities.

Ecuador: Prisoners release 57 guards held hostage

The narcotics-related mayhem began when several guards and officials were taken hostage after an attempt to raid prisons
CrimeSeptember 2, 2023
An inmate looks out from behind a guarded area of the Virgilio Guerrero detention center; in front of him are stand men in military uniforms

Ecuador prisoners hold 57 guards, police hostage

Ecuador's prisons are allegedly controlled by and used as operational base for drug trafficking gangs.
CrimeSeptember 1, 2023
Aerial of the Yasuni National Park

Ecuador: Voters reject oil drilling in the Amazon

Ecuadorians have said 'no' to oil extraction in a portion of the Amazon, one of the world's most biodiverse regions.
Nature and EnvironmentAugust 21, 2023
Luisa Gonzalez celebrating after the initial election results on Sunday

Ecuador: Leftist Luisa Gonzalez leads presidential election

Leftist lawyer Luisa Gonzalez will face right-wing businessman Daniel Noboa at a second round election in October.
PoliticsAugust 21, 2023
Otto Sonnenholzner

Ecuador: Shoot-out occurs near presidential candidate

The incident occurred just days after presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was gunned down.
CrimeAugust 20, 2023
Armed soldiers in camouflage stand in front of a graffiti-covered wall

Ecuador votes in the shadow of violence

The presidential election campaign is taking place against a backdrop of bloodshed, drug trafficking and voter fatigue.
PoliticsAugust 19, 2023
Heavily armed soldiers take part in an operation to relocate the leader of one of Ecuador's most powerful gangs to a more secure prison

Ecuador: Soldiers move gang boss linked to killed candidate

Jose Adolfo Macias, aka "Fito" was transferred to a high-security prison in a heavy military and police operation.
CrimeAugust 13, 2023