Ecuador declares fresh state of emergency amid rising organised crime violence

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa has declared a new 60-day state of emergency across seven regions, citing “grave internal unrest” caused by escalating violence linked to organised crime groups.

The emergency decree, signed on Tuesday and taking effect from Wednesday, covers the coastal provinces of Manabí, Guayas, Santa Elena, Los Ríos and El Oro, as well as the municipalities of La Maná in Cotopaxi and Las Naves and Echeandía in Bolívar.

Under the measure, security forces are authorised to conduct home searches without a warrant, and the right to private communication and correspondence has been temporarily suspended.

The government said the action aims to restore order and reinforce security in areas most affected by violent criminal activity.

These regions were already under a state of emergency imposed in August, which was extended for an additional 30 days in early October.

The latest escalation follows the killing of Judge Marcos Mendoza in Montecristi, Manabí province, last month. Mendoza was shot dead outside a school while dropping off his children, according to relatives and local media. Preliminary reports indicate that the attack was carried out by an armed assailant on a motorcycle.

Police cordoned off the area and collected ballistic evidence as part of the ongoing investigation. Authorities said Mendoza had been linked to a money laundering case under scrutiny by the Attorney General’s Office.

More than a dozen individuals, including the country’s most notorious drug trafficker, José Adolfo Macías Villamar, known as “Fito”, and leader of the Los Choneros gang, are facing prosecution in the same case.

The Ecuadorian Judges’ Association condemned Mendoza’s killing and urged the government to take immediate measures to protect members of the judiciary.

Human Rights Watch reported that at least 15 judges and prosecutors have been killed in Ecuador since 2022, underscoring the growing threat faced by legal officials amid the country’s deepening security crisis.

With IANS inputs