Other MoA event in Ecuador on Wed 31st December 2025

On the night of December 31, 2025, an armed attack disrupted a family gathering in the Nueva Esperanza neighborhood, Eloy Alfaro parish, Manta (Manabí province, Ecuador). Gunmen opened fire indiscriminately on a group celebrating the end of the year outside a home, initially killing 6 people and wounding 12 others, including a pregnant woman and young children. Hours later, the pregnant victim succumbed in hospital, raising the death toll to 7 (doctors successfully delivered her baby via emergency cesarean, and the newborn is stable). This incident capped 2025 as Manta's deadliest year on record, with 519 violent deaths in the district, a sharp rise from 2024. Ecuador's ongoing violence, fueled by drug trafficking and gang disputes, continues despite enhanced security measures.