Ecuador declares state of emergency in seven provinces

By  News On Air   Jan 04, 2025

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa has declared a 60-day state of emergency in seven provinces and three municipalities amid escalating internal unrest and armed conflict. The provinces affected include Guayas, Los Ríos, Manabí, Santa Elena, El Oro, Orellana, and Sucumbíos, along with the Metropolitan District of Quito, La Troncal, and Camilo Ponce Enríquez.

Mr. Noboa cited rising crime rates and the growing presence of organized armed groups as the main reasons for the emergency. Under the emergency measures, the right to inviolability of the home and correspondence was suspended in the affected regions.

According to media reports, a night curfew was also imposed in around 20 cantons. Since January last year, Ecuador has been engaged in an internal armed conflict against organized crime groups labeled as terrorists by the government.