Ecuador Deploys ‘Jungle Demons’ to Guayaquil as Internal Conflict Deepens
After formally declaring an internal armed conflict, Ecuador has flown 145 elite Iwia soldiers, known as the ‘Demonios de la Selva,’ into Guayaquil to confront criminal gangs. The deployment turns the country’s largest city into a primary theater of military operations and raises the stakes for civilians caught between the state and powerful armed groups.
When a government starts flying in jungle warfare specialists to secure its largest city, it is no longer treating crime as a policing problem. In Ecuador, that line was crossed again as 145 soldiers from the elite Iwia units – known as the ‘Demonios de la Selva’ or ‘Demons of the Jungle’ – arrived in Guayaquil to reinforce operations against criminal gangs, following a fresh decree declaring an internal armed conflict.
The deployment, confirmed on 20 June, comes under legal and political cover provided by President Daniel Noboa’s renewed classification of Ecuador’s struggle with powerful criminal organizations as a non-international armed conflict. That designation allows the use of heavier military force and different rules of engagement than ordinary law-enforcement operations, including in densely populated urban environments like Guayaquil’s port districts and surrounding neighborhoods.
For residents of the city, the arrival of the Iwias is a visible sign that the streets have become a battleground in a struggle that used to be described as a “war on drugs” but now looks more like an internal war for territorial control. The presence of heavily armed, jungle-trained soldiers on corners and in convoys may offer some a sense of protection; for others, it is a reminder that firefights, raids, and curfews are no longer confined to marginal areas or prisons but may erupt close to homes, markets, and workplaces.
Operationally, the Iwias bring specific capabilities honed in Ecuador’s dense, difficult rainforest terrain: tracking, ambush tactics, small-unit maneuver, and endurance under harsh conditions. In an urban context, those skills translate into an ability to conduct sustained operations in complex, hostile environments where gangs have dug in, often using informal settlements, riverbanks, and industrial zones as cover. Their deployment suggests the armed forces anticipate protracted engagements with criminal groups that behave less like street gangs and more like lightly armed militias.
Strategically, Guayaquil is the economic heart of Ecuador and a critical node in global supply chains. Its ports handle a large share of the country’s exports, from agricultural products to minerals, and have become notorious transshipment points for cocaine and other illicit cargos. If the city is perceived as unstable or effectively contested by armed groups, shipping companies, insurers, and foreign investors will reassess risk, potentially raising costs or diverting routes – pressures a fragile economy can ill afford.
The decision to rely on elite military units also underlines the extent to which Ecuador’s police force has been outgunned, infiltrated, or simply overwhelmed by the scale of organized crime. While military deployments can temporarily suppress violence in targeted areas, they also carry risks: human rights abuses, collateral damage, and the further militarization of public life. In a city like Guayaquil, where criminal networks are interwoven with local politics and commerce, rooting them out will require more than tactical raids; it will demand sustained governance, judicial reform, and international cooperation.
At the same time, criminal organizations are unlikely to accept this show of force passively. Past operations have triggered retaliatory attacks on security forces, infrastructure, and even civilians, as gangs attempt to demonstrate that the state cannot protect its population. The arrival of the ‘Demonios de la Selva’ may therefore precede a dangerous escalation phase in which both sides test the limits of the new conflict decree.
Signals to watch in the coming weeks will include patterns of homicides and kidnappings in Guayaquil, any high-profile arrests or neutralizations of gang leaders attributed to Iwia operations, and whether military involvement expands into other major cities or critical infrastructure sites. Internationally, shifts in drug seizure volumes at Guayaquil’s ports and responses from neighboring countries will indicate whether Ecuador’s decision to put elite troops on its streets is altering the regional criminal landscape or simply redrawing front lines within its own borders.
Sources
- OSINT