under 3 centimeters (1 inch), allowing it to hide in the dense vegetation of the Andean Molleturo Forest in Azuay province.

The Ecuadorian coastal province El Oro has emerged as a new hotspot for violence, as splintering criminal groups compete for control of the region’s lucrative criminal economies.

Other areas include Orellana, Los Ríos, Quito Metropolitan District (Pichincha province) and Camilo Ponce Enríquez district (Azuay province). The FCDO stated: "The SOE allows the military and ...

in the province of Azuay. “The decision will allow reinforcing the strategies and measures implemented by the National Police and the Armed Forces to ensure citizen and integral security ...