Violence in Ecuador –
New state of emergency declared in Quito and seven provinces
Ecuador declared a state of emergency on Friday in Quito and seven provinces to combat the violence of drug traffickers.
AFP
Published: 01/03/2025, 10:30 p.m. Updated 4 hours ago
Ecuadorian soldiers patrol a street in Quito, January 10, 2024.
AFP
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Ecuador, engaged in a fight against drug trafficking gangs, has declared a new state of emergency in Quito and in seven of its 24 provinces, those considered the most violent, according to a presidential decree published Friday.
A state of emergency, which allows the deployment of the army on public roads, has been declared for 60 days in the coastal provinces of Guayas, Los Rios, Manabi, Santa Elena and El Oro, as well as in the Amazon provinces. of Orellana and Sucumbios.
In force since Thursday, it includes Quito as well as the prison system, under military control.
“Increasing rates of violence”
According to the decree, this is a response to “increasing rates of violence, the commission of crimes and the increased and prolonged presence of organized armed groups”.
Long considered a safe haven between Colombia and Peru, the main cocaine exporting countries, Ecuador has seen violence explode in recent years, with rival gangs linked to Mexican and Colombian cartels clashing to take control of the country .
President Daniel Noboa, who is seeking re-election in February, declared a state of emergency in January 2024 for the 90 days allowed by law to deal, according to him, with the “internal armed conflict” opened by the gangs.
Serious human rights violations
Since then, the state of emergency has been occasionally reinstated in certain provinces.
Several international organizations denounce serious human rights violations in Ecuador.
On Tuesday, 16 soldiers were placed in pre-trial detention on suspicion of the forced disappearance of four teenagers whose charred bodies were found near a military base, in a case that sparked outrage in the country.
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