Soldiers patrol the streets in Cuenca, Ecuador, on January 9, 2024. Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa on the day declared an "internal armed conflict" and mobilized the army to combat organized crime linked to drug trafficking, following an escalation in violence in the South American country. On January 8, Ecuador's government declared a 60-day state of emergency with a nighttime curfew to quell violence in cities and inside prisons. Photo: Xinhua