Medellín, Colombia – Following the initial state of emergency announced in Ecuador on January 2, President Daniel Noboa on March 4 has extended the measures in place for another 30 days.
The extension follows continued internal unrest in February, with the Ministry of the Interior recording 781 homicides, up from 505 in January 2024.
With upcoming elections scheduled for April 9, Noboa is under pressure to respond to high murder rates which have become a pressing concern for citizens.
The provinces of Guayas, Los Ríoa, Manabí, Orellana, Santa Elena, El Oro and Sucumbíos remain affected, with curfews in place from 10:00 PM to 5:00 AM. The measures also include the Metropolitan District of Quito and the canton of Camilo Ponce Enriquez.
The objective of the state of emergency was to guarantee public order, social peace, and safety for citizens. But this was not achieved, leading to its extension into March.
In addition to the curfew, the state of emergency provides the government with sweeping powers in affected areas. The National Police and armed forces can conduct searches and inspections in homes to locate hidden people involved in criminal activity. Authorities are also allowed to collect both physical and electronic communications that they believe to be linked to the armed conflict.
Ecuadorian news outlet Metro reported that it is widely acknowledged that organized armed groups continue to carry out violent actions in order to distract the authorities from trafficking activities.
Criminal organizations allegedly use violence to keep the state busy and maintain transport corridors open for trafficking of illegal substances of hydrocarbons and weapons. In addition to homicides, groups use tactics including extortion and kidnapping to distract state security forces.
Following the statistical tie last month’s election, there is a runoff election scheduled for April between incumbent Noboa and Luisa González. Both candidates are positioning themselves as tough on crime, with González’s focus on increasing social spending to attack poverty and crime.
With the election in just over a month, the population will be watching Noboa, who has been criticized for failing to reduce violence. Given that violence related to organized crime concerns the electorate, Noboa’s performance in the next month will likely inform voters’ final decision.
Featured image credit: via FreeMalaysiaToday, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
