bloodshed

It was a provocative message that resonated in some sectors of a country long afflicted by drug war bloodshed.

Authorities have meanwhile launched a crackdown on dissent at home that critics say carries echoes of the Soviet era -- even though it is a far cry from the calamitous bloodshed perpetrated by Stalin.

In an interview with AFP, Alvarez accused President Daniel Noboa of failing to contain the bloodshed that has turned Ecuador into one of Latin America's most dangerous countries.

"A coup is when soldiers enter the presidential palace with weapons, they shoot, there is bloodshed," he told reporters Thursday.

"He will attend the signing ceremony of the peace plan for Gaza -- marking a historic turning point for the region after two years of conflict and bloodshed," it said.