QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Armed men in military uniforms Monday broke into a rural property in western Ecuador, killing at least seven people, police said. It was the latest in a wave of drug-related violence that has led to soaring homicide rates in the South American nation.

Ecuadorian police said the attack took place early in the morning when a dozen people disguised as soldiers and carrying weapons stormed a seaside property in Manabi and riddled the victims with bullets, including three adult brothers.

Ecuador’s homicide rate has quintupled since 2020, with the South American nation registering its highest homicide rate in recent history last year — when there were 50 homicides per every 100,000 residents, according to the Interior Ministry.

The spike in violent crime comes as drug gangs from Mexico and Colombia and their local allies fight over the control of drug-trafficking routes and ports that are used to ship cocaine toward the United States.

In January, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa declared a state of emergency in seven provinces, enabling police to search homes without warrants and the military to patrol urban areas.

Noboa has blamed the Colombian government for contributing to the violence, arguing that it has not done enough to control rebel groups and drug traffickers operating along their shared border. Colombia has denied the accusations, which recently led to a trade war between the neighboring countries.

Last year more than 9,000 homicides were recorded in Ecuador, with most of the killings taking place in the coastal provinces of Guayas, Manabi and Esmeraldas.

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