23 Jan 2024 | 10:57 PM UTC
Ecuador: Government modifies state of emergency and curfew effective Jan. 23 /update 5
Ecuador modifies state of emergency and curfew Jan. 23; increased security measures and retaliatory criminal violence likely through March.
Effective Jan. 23, the government of Ecuador has modified the nation's existing state of emergency, as well as the related curfew. Under the new directive, the nationwide 23:00-05:00 curfew, which was slated to remain in force through at least March 8, has been replaced with localized curfews that vary based on risk designations made by the government.
The following cantons have been designated as high-risk areas and are under a 00:01-05:00 curfew:
Canar Province: La Troncal Canton
El Oro Province: Arenillas, Huaquillas, Machala, Pasaje, and Santa Rosa cantons
Esmeraldas Province: Esmeraldas, Quininde, and San Lorenzo cantons
Guayas Province: Balao, Balzar, Daule, Duran, Guayaquil, El Triunfo, Empalme, Milagro, Naranjal, Naranjito, Playas, and San Jacinto de Yaguachi cantons
Los Rios Province: Babahoyo, Buena Fe, Pueblo Viejo, Quevedo, Valencia, Ventanas, and Vinces cantons
Manabi Province: Manta, Montecristi, Pedernales, and Portoviejo cantons
Pinchincha Province: Quito Canton
Santa Elena Province: La Libertad, Salinas, and Santa Elena cantons
Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas Province: Santo Domingo Canton
Sucumbios Province: Lago Agrio Canton
The following cantons have been designated as medium-risk areas and are under a 02:00-05:00 curfew:
Azuy Province: Camilo Ponce Enrique and Cuenca cantons
Canar Province: Azogues Canton
Carchi Province: Tulcan Canton
Chimborazo Province: Riobamba Canton
El Oro Province: El Guabo Canton
Esmeraldas Province: Atacames Canton
Guayas Province: Colimes, Lomas de Sargentillo, Nobol, Pedro Carbo, Samborondon, and Simon Bolivar cantons
Los Rios Province: Baba, Mocache, and Urdaneta cantons
Manabi Province: El Carmen and Sucre cantons
Morona Santiago Province: Morona Canton
Napo Province: Tena Canton
Orellana Province: La Joya de los Sachas Canton
Pichincha Province: Cayambe Canton
Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas Province: La Concordia Canton
All cantons not designated as high- or medium-risk are considered low-risk locations and no longer subject to any curfew.
In areas under curfew, all persons must remain indoors during curfew hours. Exceptions exist for certain essential and emergency personnel as well as those traveling to and from airports who have flights during curfew hours.
The state of emergency continues to mandate a mobilization of the armed forces, authorizing 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 perform identification checks and searches of pedestrians and vehicles. The measures also suspend certain constitutional rights nationwide, including the right to assembly and freedom from warrantless searches.
President Daniel Noboa has additionally declared Ecuador to be in a state of internal armed conflict and listed 22 criminal groups as belligerent forces that can be targeted using military force. This declaration has dramatically broadened the authority of the armed forces to conduct operations against the groups in question; military operations are likely in all major cities, especially Guayaquil, where many of the groups are based.
In retaliation, criminal groups will likely continue attacks against the government, potentially including shooting at police convoys, detonating improvised explosive devices near government installations, and burning private vehicles. Attacks may also target high-level government officials; on Jan. 17, the prosecutor charged with trying organized crime figures in Guayaquil was assassinated. Criminal groups previously carried out several attacks on political figures, including the 2023 assassination of a presidential candidate. Any additional attacks on officials would likely result in major police and military response.
Transport and business disruptions are likely. Military forces have deployed to seaports and airports throughout the country, and in Quito, police and military personnel are searching the bags of passengers entering the metro system. Additional searches and checkpoints are likely nationwide. Attacks sometimes prompt widespread business closures, as business owners fear being caught up in the violence.
Avoid the affected areas. Strictly adhere to all instructions issued by local authorities. Exercise heightened caution when operating in Ecuador.
The current wave of violence began on Jan. 8 when inmates in prisons across the country rioted and took guards hostage in response to the news that the leader of the Choneros, one of Ecuador's most powerful organized crime groups, had escaped from incarceration. During the riots, a leader of the Lobos, a major criminal organization that is a rival to the Choneros, also escaped. While these groups are engaged in a broad spectrum of criminal activity, they especially focus on trafficking cocaine through the port of Guayaquil; consequently, that city has seen much of the violence unleashed by the groups since Jan. 8.
