US condemns attacks by armed groups in Ecuador

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States strongly condemns recent attacks by armed groups in Ecuador and is committed to cooperating with partners to bring perpetrators to justice, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Wednesday.

Violence in Ecuador has escalated in recent days, with inmates holding more than 130 prison guards and other staff hostage in at least five prisons, while gunmen took over a TV station live on air and explosions erupted around the country.

"We strongly condemn the recent criminal attacks by armed groups in Ecuador against private, public, & government institutions," Sullivan said in a post on social media platform X.

Ecuador's president, Daniel Noboa, who has promised to tackle a growing security problem caused by a rise in drug gangs transporting cocaine through Ecuador, said the violence had risen to the level of war.

Noboa named 22 gangs as terrorist organizations on Tuesday, making them official military targets.

The hostage-takings, which began in the early hours of Monday, and the apparent escape of Los Choneros gang leader Adolfo Macias from prison over the weekend, spurred Noboa to declare a 60-day state of emergency.

(Reporting by Ismail Shakil, Katharine Jackson)