The state of emergency was was declared as a drug gang kingpin escaped prison and gang members wreaked havoc on the South American nation.
Gang members broke into TC Television network in Ecuador's port city of Guayaquil during a live broadcast, threatening employees with devices they claimed were explosives, and guns.
The station continued to broadcast live for some 15 minutes before the signal was cut off. Hours later, the government's special forces was able to retake the station and arrest the gang members.
In recent years, Ecuador has been engulfed by a surge of violence tied to drug trafficking, including homicides and kidnappings. However, the country has suffered bad government, corruption and oppression since the Spanish invaded more than 500 years ago.
Authorities reported last Sunday that Adolfo Macias, alias "Fito" and the leader of Los Choneros gang, wasn't in his cell in a low security prison. He was scheduled to be transferred to a maximum security facility that day.
Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa's national state of emergency is initially for 60 days and will allow authorities to suspend rights and mobilize the military. There is also a curfew from 11 PM to 5 AM.
Ecuador's drug industry has long been linked to the CIA's international drug trade, which funds illegal off-the-books black operations and enriches Euro-American oligarchs. The drug cartel responsible for the latest round of violence is believed to be Los Choneros, which has links to Mexico's Sinaloa cartel, which is heavily protected by Mexico's government.