Ecuador declares state of emergency amid drug gang violence

In Ecuador, a wave of violence from armed drug gangs is escalating. President Daniel Noboa declared a 60-day state of emergency in the country's capital, Quito, and in six out of twenty-four provinces on Thursday. He noted that the wave of violence "has assumed the dimensions of an internal armed conflict."

President of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, declared a 60-day state of emergency in Quito and six provinces of the country. The decision was made due to the escalating violence from armed drug gangs. Noboa described the current situation as approaching an internal armed conflict.

The 36-year-old Noboa, who took office as president in November 2023, stated that the country is entering a "new phase in the fight against organized crime in Ecuador." Using strong words, he emphasized that the Ecuadorian government is determined to confront the threats.

We are in a life-and-death war where we cannot yield to terrorists, drug trafficking gangs! – Noboa said, referring to the brutal riots started by gang members imprisoned in Ecuadorian prisons.

As the head of state emphasized, gang members are responsible for hundreds of murdered Ecuadorians. Over the past three years, more than twenty heavily armed criminal groups have been operating in the country, associated with powerful Mexican drug cartels, among others.

The areas where the state of emergency will be implemented include not only the capital, Quito, but also coastal provinces such as Guayas, Los Rios, Manabi, El Oro, Santa Elena, and Orellana, and some mining districts, such as Camilo Ponce Enriquez. In these areas, military and police forces will be concentrated to combat the actively operating gangs.

In these areas, the activities of organized gangs, well-armed terrorist bands at the service of international drug traffickers, have created a very tense situation (…) We are at war and cannot yield (...) to terrorists operating in our country – stated the presidential decree introducing the state of emergency.

According to media reports, the number of members in Ecuadorian drug gangs exceeds twenty thousand. They possess modern weapons.

This is another recent decree of the state of emergency. In January of this year, riots occurred in several Ecuadorian prisons after Fito – one of the most dangerous criminals, escaped from jail. Noboa then announced the introduction of a 60-day state of emergency and a curfew from 11 PM to 5 AM throughout the country.

Fito, whose real name is Adolfo Macias Villamar, was serving a sentence of 34 years in prison for involvement in organized crime, murders, and drug trafficking. He was in a high-security unit. After his escape, 4,000 police officers appeared in the prison to try to control the situation.