QUITO, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Ecuador's president has declared war on drugs gangs holding scores of prison guards hostage in a wave of violence that saw the storming of a TV station on-air and explosions around the nation.

The unrest appears to be in response to President Daniel Noboa's efforts to tackle cocaine trafficking, in particular by putting gang leaders in new high-security prisons.

"We are at war and we cannot cede in the face of these terrorist groups," Noboa, the 36-year-old son of a banana baron in power since November, said on Wednesday.