Ecuador declares state of emergency in three provinces over drug violence

Ecuador’s President, Guillermo Lasso, stated on Friday that he has declared a state of emergency for two months in three districts where drug trafficking has resulted in the worst levels of violence.

“I have declared a state of exception in the (coastal) provinces of Guayas, Manabi and Esmeraldas, effective from midnight tonight,” he said in a speech broadcast by state media.

Under the state of emergency, he had ordered the mobilization of 4,000 police and 5,000 military personnel to the provinces. A curfew will also be enforced between 11:00 pm and 5:00 am for certain areas, such as the town of Duran, located near the port of Guayaquil.

In February, two bodies were discovered suspended from a pedestrian bridge in Duran, a method similar to Mexican cartel crimes.

Drug trafficking in Ecuador has led to an increase in crime, which has left 1,255 people dead since the start of the year, according to official figures.

About 440 crimes have occurred in Guayaquil, the country’s commercial center and the provincial capital of Guayas, and Duran.

In Ecuador, there have been many killings by imprisoned gang members tied to drug trafficking since February 2021, resulting in 350 deaths.