08 Apr 2024 | 09:46 PM UTC
Ecuador: Government modifies emergency measures as of April 8 /update 7
Ecuador modifies emergency measures as of April 8, canceling curfew and instituting new declaration of internal armed conflict.
As of April 8, authorities have modified the measures implemented in response to a wave of violence perpetrated by organized crime groups. As part of the modifications, the government has allowed the state of emergency to expire, and all curfews throughout the country have been canceled.
The state of emergency has been replaced with a new declaration of internal armed conflict made by President Daniel Noboa. Under the declaration, Ecuador is in a state of war against a list of organizations; while the exact list is a state secret, it is almost certainly composed of major criminal groups such as the Choneros, Tiguerones, and Lobos as well as more minor street gangs. The declaration orders the armed forces to use military force to eradicate all groups on the list and to continue their previous deployment throughout the country.
The declaration also allows the government to secretly declare areas to be secure zones that are placed under the control of the armed forces. In addition to these secretly declared secure zones, it also names all prisons as being secure zones to be jointly guarded by the armed forces and National Police.
As a result of the declaration, the military is likely to continue to conduct security operations throughout the country, especially in Guayas Province, including the city of Guayaquil, where many criminal organizations are based. Police and military forces may perform identification checks and searches of pedestrians and vehicles, and additional increased security measures are likely, especially in places where large crowds gather, such as on the public transportation system and at airports and sea ports.
In retaliation, criminal groups may 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, which would likely result in major police and military response. 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.
