Ecuador’s President Prolongs State of Emergency Amid “Serious Internal Unrest”

(MENAFN) Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa on Tuesday prolonged the “state of emergency” for an additional 30 days across seven provinces and the capital, Quito, as the country grapples with worsening violence and “serious internal unrest,” the government announced.

In an executive order, Noboa cited the ongoing “internal armed conflict” triggered when security forces launched operations against organized crime starting January 2024.

Since April, the emergency status has applied to the coastal provinces of Guayas, Los Rios, Manabi, El Oro, and Santa Elena, alongside the Amazonian regions of Orellana and Sucumbios, as well as Quito’s Metropolitan District.

“The ultimate objective of the state of emergency is to guarantee public order, social peace, and peaceful coexistence among citizens,” the order emphasized.

Noboa directed the ministries of national defense and interior, together with the Strategic Intelligence Center, to enforce the decree in collaboration with all relevant agencies and institutions.

He also mandated informing the public about the suspension of fundamental rights, including the inviolability of the home and correspondence, plus freedom of movement.

While asserting that all standard measures to protect citizens have been employed, the president highlighted that “the surge in violence” necessitates extraordinary and temporary actions such as the extension of the state of emergency.

Drawing from assessments by the Joint Command of the Armed Forces, Noboa warned that armed factions involved in the conflict have escalated to “an intensity of violence that is critically disrupting public order” and raising widespread concern.

“The rates of violence and crime remain high, criminal groups have formed new alliances, many criminal groups maintain their capabilities and pose a threat, and the commission of certain serious crimes has increased,” he stated.

Despite ongoing military efforts to counter these threats, Noboa revealed that vast caches of drugs, weapons, ammunition, and high-caliber explosives continue to be seized from organized armed groups, which operate in coordination with various security networks and leverage advanced technology.

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