‘Guayaquil Four’ boys missing in Ecuador pose challenge to president

Protests have erupted nationwide after disappearance of boys not seen since they were approached by soldiers

The disappearance of four boys in Ecuador after they came into contact with the armed forces is posing a severe challenge to President Daniel Noboa's war on drugs".

The four - all black, aged between 11 and 15, and residents of Las Malvinas, a poor area in the country's largest city, Guayaquil - were returning from a football game near their homes on 8 December when 16 air force soldiers approached them.