Ecuador Declares 60-Day State of Emergency Across Nine Provinces Amid Surge in Criminal Violence

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa has declared a 60-day state of emergency across nine provinces and three municipalities, citing a sharp rise in criminal violence and what the government has described as serious internal commotion.

The emergency decree, signed by the President on Wednesday, came into force on Thursday, and is aimed at containing high-intensity violence, neutralising imminent security threats, and dismantling organised criminal structures operating across key regions of the country.

Legal Basis and Duration of the Emergency

The emergency declaration will remain valid for 60 days, during which the Ecuadorian government will exercise special constitutional powers to restore public order.

According to the official decree, the time-bound emergency period is intended to:

• Reduce severe and persistent violence

• Prevent ongoing or imminent criminal threats

• Strengthen state action against organised crime networks

A state of emergency is a constitutional mechanism that allows the executive to temporarily expand security powers in response to threats that exceed the capacity of routine law-enforcement mechanisms.

Provinces and Municipalities Under Emergency

The emergency applies to a geographically extensive area, covering coastal, Andean, central-northern, and Amazon regions.

Coastal Provinces

• Guayas

• Manabí

• Santa Elena

• Los Ríos

• El Oro

• Esmeraldas

Central-Northern Provinces

• Pichincha

• Santo Domingo

Amazon Region

• Sucumbíos

Municipalities Covered

• La Maná (Cotopaxi Province)

• Las Naves (Bolívar Province)

• Echeandía (Bolívar Province)

These areas have been identified by security agencies as high-risk zones due to repeated incidents of violent crime and organised criminal activity.

Homicide Data Highlights Scale of the Crisis

Data released by Ecuador’s National Police underscores the severity of the situation.

• 1,232 cases of intentional homicide were recorded

• The data covers the period November 1 to December 23

• All reported cases occurred within the nine provinces now under emergency

An intentional homicide refers to a deliberate act of killing, and is a key indicator used globally to assess levels of violent crime and internal security breakdown.

Government’s Security Strategy Under the Decree

President Noboa stated that the emergency measures are designed to:

• Restore state control in violence-affected regions

• Improve operational coordination between security agencies

• Weaken the operational capacity of criminal organisations

The declaration reflects the government’s broader strategy to treat criminal violence as a national security challenge, rather than solely a law-and-order issue.

Background: Ecuador’s Escalating Criminal Violence

Ecuador has experienced a significant escalation in organised crime, particularly linked to:

• Drug trafficking corridors

• Armed criminal gangs

• Prison-linked violence and spillover effects in civilian areas

The coastal and border regions included in the emergency have been among the worst affected, due to their strategic importance for illicit networks.