Army corporal Ronny Intriago was killed in "crossfire" in the northern Esmeraldas province, the armed forces said in a statement.

The province has been under a state of emergency since Friday due to a spike in drug trafficking-related violence.

It is the second time in less than six months that a state of emergency has been declared there.

Since January, authorities have reported 70 murders in Esmeraldas.

In November, President Guillermo Lasso imposed a state of emergency and a nighttime curfew in Esmeraldas following a spate of attacks in revenge for the transfer of some prison inmates.

Lasso has declared war on drug trafficking gangs, who control the drug trade from prisons engulfed by extreme violence and riots breaking out between rival gangs.

Ecuador has seen a sharp rise in drug trafficking and murders.

The murder rate jumped from 14 people per 100,000 inhabitants in 2021 to 25 the following year.

Drug seizures, mostly cocaine, went from 120 tons in 2021 to over 200 the next year.