South Americaupdated 1h ago3 min read
Daniel Noboa Imposes Fourth Curfew Through Nov. 10 In Ecuador’s Five Provinces
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Curfew by President Daniel Noboa applies 00:00–05:00 in five coastal provinces through Nov 10. Provinces: Guayas, Manabí, Los Ríos, El Oro, Esmeraldas.
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Curfew in five provinces
Ecuador’s government imposed a new curfew through Nov. 10 on five violence-plagued provinces, with President Daniel Noboa issuing the measure via executive order to combat organized crime and drug trafficking.
The curfew applies in Guayas, home to Guayaquil, as well as Manabi, Los Rios, El Oro and Esmeraldas, and it orders residents to remain indoors from midnight to 5:00 a.m. local time.
The curfew marks the fourth time this year Noboa imposed a curfew, after restrictions imposed in March, May and September, and it takes effect four weeks before local elections.
The measure coincides with a four-day national holiday that began on Oct. 31 in observance of All Souls’ Day and the anniversary of the independence of Cuenca, the country’s third most populous city.
The government framed the curfew as part of an anti-crime strategy that has included states of exception or curfew, and it has declared since January 2024 an “internal armed conflict” against criminal gangs tied to drug trafficking that Noboa has labeled “terrorists.”
First night arrests
Ecuador’s interior ministry reported that the first night of the curfew ended with 218 people apprehended for alleged crimes linked to organized crime. The official balance confirmed the apprehension of two hundred eighteen citizens during the first night of the curfew in Ecuador, and it described the suspects being presented to judicial authorities to initiate investigations for crimes of organized crime, illegal possession of firearms, and drug trafficking. Ecuadorian police and the Armed Forces detained a total of 218 people during the first night of the new nighttime curfew imposed by the government of Daniel Noboa in five coastal provinces.
Police detained 174 people, including 155 arrested for violating the curfew, and the Armed Forces detained another 44 people, while police seized 91.0 kilograms of drugs, four firearms and 28 ammunition. The curfew would be in effect until next November 10, between 00:00 and 05:00 local time, in the provinces of Guayas, Manabí, Los Ríos, El Oro and Esmeraldas, and it ends just two weeks before the local elections on November 29.
Security operations and politics
President Daniel Noboa said the curfew aims to protect the civilian population while police and military carry out “special operations” to break into premises and capture alleged members of criminal groups. The mobility restriction began in the early hours of this Sunday, November 1, and would remain in force until November 10 in the provinces of Guayas, Manabí, Los Ríos, and El Oro, as well as in Esmeraldas, with movement restricted between 00:00 and 05:00 local time. Only emergency teams are allowed to circulate during the measure, and it described the “special operations” as police and military raids to catch suspected members of criminal gangs.
TeleSUR also tied the curfew to the political calendar, saying the measure applies four weeks before local elections on Sunday, November 29, when Ecuadorians will vote among others for prefects and mayors for the next four years. The curfew takes effect four weeks before local elections and described Noboa’s broader approach since January 2024, when the administration declared an “internal armed conflict” against criminal gangs tied to drug trafficking and labeled them “terrorists.”