Ecuador's president extends state of emergency due to spiraling crime

QUITO, June 10 (Xinhua) -- Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa on Tuesday extended the "state of emergency" in seven provinces and the country's capital Quito for another 30 days due to "serious internal unrest" in the face of spiraling violence, the government said.

Noboa issued an executive order in which he noted that the measure came amid the "internal armed conflict" unleashed since security forces began to combat organized crime in January 2024.

The state of emergency has been in effect since April in the coastal provinces of Guayas, Los Rios, Manabi, El Oro, and Santa Elena, as well as the Amazonian provinces of Orellana and Sucumbios, and the Metropolitan District of Quito.

"The ultimate objective of the state of emergency is to guarantee public order, social peace, and peaceful coexistence among citizens," the executive order said.

Noboa instructed the ministries of national defense and the interior, as well as the Strategic Intelligence Center, to implement the decree in coordination with all relevant agencies and institutions.

He also ordered that citizens be notified of the suspension of basic rights, including the inviolability of the home and correspondence, and freedom of movement.

The president said the government has taken all the usual steps to safeguard citizen safety but given "the surge in violence" it is necessary to take extraordinary and temporary measures such as a state of emergency.

Based on reports from the Joint Command of the Armed Forces, Noboa said armed groups involved in the internal armed conflict have reached "an intensity of violence that is critically disrupting public order" and causing alarm.

"The rates of violence and crime remain high, criminal groups have formed new alliances, many criminal groups maintain their capabilities and pose a threat, and the commission of certain serious crimes has increased," he stressed.

While these threats are being contained and fought against through military operations, said the president, large quantities of drugs, weapons, ammunition, and high-caliber explosives continue to be found in the hands of organized armed groups operating in tandem with several security networks and cutting-edge technology. ■