Noboa extends state of emergency for 30 days in six crime-plagued provinces

President Daniel Noboa on Friday extended the state of emergency for another 30 days in six provinces and one canton, given the high level of criminal violence. Noboa’s decree extended the measure he ordered on July 2 in Los Rios, Guayas, Santa Elena, Manabi and El Oro, as well as in the Amazonian province of Orellana and the town of Camilo Ponce Enríquez, in the province of Azuay.

According to government statistics, the number of murders in Ecuador’s prisons will have fallen by 87% in 2024 compared to 2023.

“This action will make it possible to maintain and strengthen the strategies and measures implemented by the National Police and the Armed Forces to ensure the security of citizens and the entire population,” the Noboa news agency said in a statement. “Under a rigorous technical analysis, the declaration of the state of exception is geographically targeted to more efficiently meet the security needs in these areas,” it added.

The president also extended the curfew imposed on August 8 from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. local time in 19 municipalities and one parish plagued by illegal mining. The order also noted that violent acts related to illegal mining continue and require an exceptional response.

On January 9, Noboa declared that Ecuador was facing an “internal armed conflict” against 22 organized crime groups that he labeled “terrorists.” He called for the deployment of troops to tackle these organizations, which are primarily involved in drug trafficking but have also expanded into illegal mining.

In 2023, Ecuador was one of the most dangerous countries in Latin America, with a homicide rate of 45 per 100,000 people. Authorities say violent deaths have fallen 17% through August 2024, signaling the success of the government’s program. Among other actions, Noboa has militarized prisons that were previously run by criminal gangs, making hundreds of deaths commonplace and riots a weekly occurrence. Violent deaths in prisons are down 87% in 2024 compared to 2023.

The new presidential decree exempts health care workers, security, law enforcement, news media and the judiciary from the curfew.