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world news america." ecuador says it is at war mr. president puts prisoners on the move with the escape of a head gang member and the attack of a life tv broadcast. a barrage of houthi missiles shot down. taiwan's approaching presidential election raises questions about the past and future. hello and welcome to world news america. i am caitriona perry. the south american nation of ecuador is at war with drug gangs. ecuador's president says foreign prisoners will be deported as the country remains under a state of emergency. the president made the announcement one day after mass gunmen stormed a studio during a

live broadcast. following days of violence. the president hopes ecuador to cut down on ecuador's prison population. more than 120 prison guards are being held hostage around the country. nationwide unrest begin a few days earlier when a notorious gang boss escaped from a maximum-security prison. the boss of the two narrow -- of the choneros gang has not been found. police are dealing with jail riots and escapees and several police officers have been kidnapped. joining us now from ecuador is our correspondent, will grant. thank you for joining us. can you describe the situation on the streets of ecuador? >> it is a very strange feeling on the streets of guayaquil. this is a city ultimately in

shock. it has beenough very difficult 24 hours. those images of the masked gunmen coming in and taking over the television station, threatening the journalists on air. that was just one part of what was happening during a descent into chaos. there were armed gunmen going into the city's university, there were bomb attacks taking place. quite quickly schools closed, businesses closed and people went indoors. today was an extension of that in the sense that people were only venturing out if they really need to. people are still -- caitriona: a number of people are still being held hostage in prisons around the country. is there any update on that situation? >> yeah, i think that is really

the most difficult part of this for the government at this stage. more than 100 believed, more than 120 prison guards being held inside seven facilities. the president said there has been no backward movement, no intent to negotiate. he said what happened was not an accident. it was the result of his hardline policies that led to this explosion of violence taking place in the streets but he is not backing down. the taking of hostages is the dirty side of war but he is not prepared to back down. caitriona: with the hard-line approach being taken by the president, is there any indication to how long this situation may last or when the people living there might have some sense of getting back to normal life? >> we know that the state of

emergency will be in place for 60 days. there is a curfew in place in this city, guayaquil, every evening. i cannot see that being lifted for some weeks. probably the length of the state of emergency, or at least in the short term. there will be a police presence on the streets. it is difficult to know how quickly they will return to normality. there are people trying to get back to normal lives already. let's not make any mistake about this -- this was truly unprecedented what happened. not just on the streets of guayaquil, this big and important port city in ecuador, but in the history of ecuador itself. it is something that has not happened before. there has been political violence but not drug gang-related violence. caitriona: thank you very much for joining us. we can speak now to a former

member of the ecuadorian government, where he held many positions. he also served as ecuador's permanent representative to the united nations and is currently eight policy analyst. thank you very much for joining us. we have been hearing from our correspondent in guayaquil about the violence, the declaration of war against drug gangs, state of emergency for 60 days. could this have been anticipated? were you surprised by the scale of what we have seen? >> thank you for having me on your show. yes, the exact details of what happened yesterday could not have been anticipated but we have certainly seen over the last few months and years a steady decline on the security situation. really dire straits right now in terms of security. we have had a growth of these drug gangs, drug trafficking in the country for the last six years.

one of the best indicators is the homicide rate. the homicide rate rising from 2017, when it was just under six per 100,000 inhabitants. the latin american average is 16, 6 is very low. 2023 it is 45 per 100,000 inhabitants, that is an 800% increase. a country that used to pride itself in being the most peaceful one in the region, with problematic neighbors in terms of security, columbia -- colombia, bolivia. it was considered an island of peace and then it is not. it is the most violent country in the indian region and probably in the western hemisphere. this is a situation that has been evolving over the last few years. it is a sharp decline in just

5-6 years from one of the safest countries in the region. the exact events yesterday could have been anticipated but it has been rising problems with penitentiary massacres that have hit the international news cycles. 460 inmates have been killed over the last few years in prison massacres. having contact with outside of the prisons with gangs, with the drug lords inside of the prisons still calling the shots and the hierarchy of the criminal organizations being unscathed by them being in prison. there have been lots of signs on the wall but what happened yesterday is particularly dramatic and particularly traumatic for ecuador. caitriona: a member of the current government has been

speaking to the bbc and has said this is going to be a bloody exchange but the decision could not be postponed. does it have to be so bloody? is it a case of 18 million ecuadorians against 20,000 terrorists? >> i think ecuadorians have had enough. there is a real rallying around the president happening right now. he has been president since november. he is young and not that experienced. even the political classes, the opposition, the former president released a message saying we will put our political differences to one side. we need to support the president because this is unprecedented and very serious. there is that general sense that everyone wants to put an end to this rapid, very brutal violence on behalf of the drug gangs. after years of gradually losing

control, they are losing control over the security forces and the police force and the military. there is a lot of penetration of organized crime inside security forces. can the president really regain control of the security forces and go on the offensive, let alone whether this could lead to killings or human rights abuses, which is another phenomenon. it is to be avoided. does the president have that authority at the moment? i don't know. for the last few years, we have seen the state completely eroding, institutions weakening. in 2018 the government -- budget cuts -- close down the ministry of justice, ministry of security. the consequences are here today. the state abandoning its fundamental role of granting security to the country. in order for that to be reversed

, it will take a huge effort, purging the security forces, taking seriously an independent judiciary strengthening institution. i would just add, also, you cannot just do it through law enforcement measures. you will also need to address the social and economic situation because ecuador has been a country inside south america that has fared the worst in terms of post-pandemic recovery. all these things have to go hand in hand. it cannot just be war. you have to have a social safety net and alternatives. it is a huge challenge for the government. caitriona: we will have to leave it there for the moment. the former ecuadorian minister of foreign affairs, thank you for joining us. >> thank you. caitriona: u.s. and british navies repelled but they said was the largest houthi attack yet on ships in the red sea. the u.k. defense secretary said

he had no doubt that iran is behind the attacks and action will come if they do not stop. several major shipping companies have started taking major detours to avoid the red sea, which could lead to supply chain problems. it comes as u.s. secretary of state antony blinken starts to wrap up his trip through the middle east. there are concerns about conflict spreading to the region. antony blinken said iran must real in the houthis for else. >> as we make clear, there will be consequences for the houthi s' actions. we have tried to make clear to iran that the support they are providing to the houthis, including for these actions, needs to stop. it is not in their interest to see the conflict escalate. we are not the only ones who sent that message to iran. caitriona: secretary antony blinken visited the seat of the palestinian authority.

he said washington supports tangible steps toward the creation of the palestinian state, adding that he was insured to committing to addressing israeli security concerns while uniting the gaza strip and the west bank. the head of the world health organization said his agency was forced to cancel six missions to northern gaza and the last two weeks, accusing israel of -- intense bombardments led to fuel shortages and poor communications are making it almost impossible to reach those in need. israel has repeatedly said it has done what he can to allow aid into the gaza strip. antony blinken tries diplomacy against the houthis, the military is projecting force. the joint u.s. and u.k. mission done operation prosperity appears to be having some effect. on tuesday the houthis fired 20 projectiles at ships and the red sea. it was their largest salvo yet

but the u.s.-led task force shot down all but two of them. no ships sustained any damage. can the operation keep the crucial sea lane open? i spoke to a retired general to get his view s? retired general mckenzie, thank you for joining us. i want to ask u.s. someone who formerly commanded, when you look at what is happening in the red sea, do you think the u.s. is doing adequate job at controlling what is happening there when we see these attacks from the houthis? >> the attacks have escalated on a predictable significant curve. no, i do not think we are doing enough. the houthis understand our capabilities. they do not fear our will. we will have to do something to give them a lesson about continuing down this course.

it will have to be more than just shooting up boats attacking vessels or shooting down their drones and their missiles. caitriona: the national security council spokesperson said today in a briefing at the white house that we will do everything we have to do to protect shipping in the red sea. what do you think that looks like? >> i think we are doing a lot of good things with partners and allies in the region to conduct defensive operations but that in and of itself will not be enough. as you have noted, houthi attacks have continued to -- increase. radar sites, missile sites, put these attacks together, planned event them. that is where you have to go if you want to stop these operations. caitriona: president biden and the administration have been clear from the outset that everything they are doing is to prevent an escalation of conflict in the wider region. would doing what you describe

because that escalation? >> first of all, i think we should be careful about the use of the word escalation. preventing escalation should not be our highest priority. if you want to prevent escalation, we should go home. withdraw from the region. we are not doing that. there are more objective higher than preventing escalation. a shared passage of commerce is one of those things that is more important than affording escalation. having said that, it is my belief from years of study and experience as a commander than if we strike back at the houthis, it will not necessarily escalate beyond that region. i do not believe iran would necessarily take action if we strike back at the houthis in yemen, the sites where they are attacking maritime shipping. caitriona: is the calculation in all of this that they might? >> of course. conflict is a clash of human wills.

this is a risk worth taking. i would say today the risk of inaction is greater than the risk of action. that ultimately is a political decision, not a military decision. national leaders are the people who make those decisions. caitriona: in terms of the military decision element of it, what is the u.s. preparedness like at this point? are there enough troops and enough infrastructure in the region? >> we have significant capabilities to do whatever is necessary to reestablish deterrence with the houthis in yemen. caitriona: and he would see it as a partner-led operation? >> i think the united kingdom is potentially a part. i do not know the details. you would have to go to someone else. i think a lot of nations have a strong, vested interest in the protection of commerce, particularly through chokepoints. as we look at the actions we

take, another country on the others of the world is also looking at that closely and that is china. they can contemplate possible operations in the strait of taiwan. caitriona: retired general frank mckenzie, former commander and our executive director at the global national security institute at the university of south florida, thank you for joining us on bbc news. on saturday, taiwan will elect a new president. an election that china has called a decision between peace and war. taiwan separation is seen as a left over from china civil war. in 1940 nine, the victorious communists drove china's nationalist leader from power. he fled to taiwan, setting up a rival government. today, taiwan is a democracy and its people are free to choose the government they want. our asia correspondent reports.

>> there was a time when statues greeted you wherever you went on this island. today, it is a rare sight. hundreds of his statues have been stashed away at this riverside park, south of taipei. this 94-year-old is not happy about what is being done to the legacy of his former leader. as a young soldier, he fled china in 1949. he has never stopped feeling chinese. >> taiwan is a province. it is still a part of china. slowly the differences between us will narrow until we are the same. then, we can achieve unification. >> he tried to turn taiwan into a mini version of the china he left behind. he would say there is no such thing as being taiwanese. this memorial still dominates

the center of taipei. his project to turn taiwanese people into citizens of china ultimately failed. today around 70% of people saving our taiwanese, not chinese. this 86-year-old is one of them. he spent 10 years in this prison for supporting taiwan independence. in all, around 140,000 taiwanese were locked up for -- he said he always felt taiwanese. his years in prison only strengthen that belief. >> i do not consider myself chinese. taiwan is a great country but due to the influence of the chinese communist party we cannot declare independence. that is how i see it. >> it is election time. people here are again facing those questions. who are they? what relationship should they have with china? today, no one, not even the old

nationalist party, is campaigning for unification. >> i am taiwanese. but my ancestors come from china. we have the same blood. >> i am all about unification. >> i want us to be good friends. we can both make money together. >> taiwan is very different from china. it has dozens of political parties and noisy, energetic elections. people are free to choose who they are and how to live. the vast majority do not want to change. caitriona: republicans in the u.s. house of representatives launched impeachment proceedings against the country's homeland security secretary. lawmakers are recusing sec. mayorkas of dereliction of duty by failing to protect the u.s. southern border. in september 10,000 people were

detained after crossing illegally from mexico, the highest number on record. if he is impeached, it is unlikely the democratic held senate would convict him. the proceedings gave republicans a chance to highlight what they believed to be one of the biden administration's biggest failures. >> our evidence makes it clear that sec. mayorkas is the architect of the devastation we have witnessed for nearly three years. the findings of our investigation, available to the public online, coupled with the secretary's refusal to change course on the reckless decisions facilitating this crisis, have left us with no reasonable alternative than to pursue the possibility of impeachment. the secretary's actions have brought us here today, not ours. caitriona: republicans said that impeachment proceedings were triggered by a crisis on the southern border. the top democrat on the committee claims they were actually motivated by this year's elections. >> it is now campaign season.

republicans recently rolled out there impeachment proceedings against the secretary like a preplanned, predetermined political stunt that it is. this is not a legitimate impeachment. you cannot impeach a cabinet secretary because you do not like a president's policy. that is not what impeachment is for. that is not what the constitution says. caitriona: scientists say they have made a quantum leap in understanding how certain -- alzheimer's. they say it is linked to genes introduced thousands of years ago by cattle herders. >> this intriguing research in the journal nature gives a new level of understanding of the genetic origins of multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases. scientists found that genes which increase the risk of ms

were originally adventitious, protecting ancient herdsmen from diseases of cattle and sheep. livestock herders carrying the genes came from the ponting step which now includes part of ukraine, western russia and headed west around 5000 years ago. the researchers say it helps explain why there are around twice as many cases of ms in northwestern europe, including the u.k. and scandinavia, compared to southern europe. researchers in cambridge, copenhagen and oxford extracted dna from the bones of 5000 ancient humans and compared it with those of people alive today. >> these results really astounded us. to be able to tie ms back to one particular population 5000 years ago was a huge surprise. theoretically we can use this

data to investigate the origins of any disease with the genetic background. schizophrenia, adhd. where this came from in the past. we hope to unlock secrets. >> researchers also found that genes which may increase the risk of alzheimer's disease and type 2 diabetes could be traced back to hunter gatherer tribes. it will not necessarily lead to new treatments but that would be the long-term goal. caitriona: remember, you can find out more about all of the day's news at our website, bbc news.com/news and you can see what we are working on at any time on your favorite social media platform. that is it for the moment. i am caitriona perry. thank you for watching world news america. do take care. narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... narrator: financial services firm, raymond james. man: bdo. accountants and advisors.

narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ >> good evening. tonight, turmoil in the middle east. gaza pleads for more food aid and global leaders condemned the