09 Jan 2024 | 05:33 PM UTC
Ecuador: Criminal groups launch attacks Jan. 9 following declaration of state of emergency and curfew /update 3
Criminals launch wave of attacks across Ecuador Jan. 9 after government implements state of emergency and 23:00-05:00 curfew.
As of Jan. 9, criminal groups have launched a wave of attacks across Ecuador following the implementation of a state of emergency (SoE) and curfew. As part of the attacks, criminals detonated improvised explosive devices in Cuenca, Los Rios, Guayaquil, Quevado, and Quito and burned vehicles in Azogues, Esmeraldas, Guayaquil, Loja, and Pichincha.
In Quito, police discovered gas cylinders in a burning vehicle that were likely meant to explode. Similarly, in El Guabo, authorities recovered sticks of dynamite near a burning truck. Police also arrested criminals carrying dynamite in Loja; further explosives attacks are likely.
Criminals have also targeted police in the attacks and kidnapped officers in Los Rios, Machala, and Quito. Further clashes between police and criminal groups are possible.
The attacks come after President Daniel Noboa decreed a nationwide SoE and curfew that will last through at least March 8. Under the decree, all persons must remain indoors from 23:00-05:00 daily. Exceptions exist for certain essential and emergency personnel and those traveling to and from airports who have flights during curfew hours.
The decree also mobilizes the armed forces and authorizes them to carry out law-enforcement operations throughout the country and to intervene in the nation's prison system. It further declares the areas within a 1 km (0.6 mile) radius of all prisons to be secure zones where police and military forces may stop pedestrians and vehicles and subject them to identification checks and searches. The measures also suspend certain constitutional rights nationwide, including the right to assembly and freedom from warrantless searches.
The measures will likely prompt major security operations and increased security measures throughout the country. Transport and business disruptions are also likely. In Quito, police and military personnel are searching the bags of passengers entering the metro system. Additional searches and checkpoints are likely nationwide.
Avoid the affected areas. Adhere to all instructions issued by local authorities. Exercise heightened caution when operating in Ecuador.
Noboa declared the state of emergency as prisoners rioted and set fires at the El Inca Prison in Quito, as well as took guards hostage in the Azuay, Cotopaxi, El Oro, and Loja prisons. An additional riot in the Chimborazo prison allowed some prisoners to escape. Past prison riots in Ecuador have resulted in numerous fatalities and significant mobilizations of security forces.
Clashes within prisons have occurred in Ecuador amid violence related to drug-trafficking organizations (DTOs) nationwide. Los Choneros have been among the most prominent, having reportedly been linked to various prison riots and even the Aug. 9 assassination of Fernando Villavicencio, the presidential candidate of the Movimiento Construye (MC25) party. Adolfo Macias, the leader of Los Choneros, escaped from his prison in Guayaquil on Jan. 7.
