The President of Ecuador's Daniel Noboa has declared a new state of emergency that covers seven of the country's 24 provinces and includes an area in another province. The decision was made after the alarming increase in violent incidents and criminal activities in these areas, reports News.bg.
The provinces of Guayas, El Oro, Santa Elena, Manabí, Sucumbios, Orellana and Los Rios, along with an area in Assuay, are at the center of this 60-day emergency measure. The move follows President Noboa's January declaration that Ecuador is in a state of conflict, identifying 22 criminal groups as terrorist organizations.
The extraordinary decree is yet to be reviewed by the Constitutional Court following a previous decision that invalidated a similar declaration due to insufficient justification. Under this decree, security forces are given the power to conduct searches and intercept communications without prior approval in the affected regions.
President Noboa has attributed the rise in violence, including an attack on a television studio in January and the hostage-taking of prison guards, to drug-trafficking operations. Cocaine smuggling routes from Colombia and Peru through Ecuador encouraged criminal gangs, leading to an increase in violence.
Past emergency declarations were intended to aid police and military efforts to curb a rising tide of murders and other crimes. Although the government reported a 28 percent decrease in violent deaths in the first months of this year compared to the same period in 2023, challenges such as kidnapping and extortion persist.
The Attorney General's Office is currently investigating eight cases of extrajudicial killings reported during the latest state of emergency. The investigations come amid warnings from rights groups about potential abuses by authorities under the broad powers granted by the emergency decree.
Ecuador's declaration of a state of emergency underscores the nation's ongoing fight against organized crime and violence, highlighting the complex challenges facing the government in restoring peace and security.