Ecuador imposes emergency in Quito and Guayaquil

Ecuador declared a state of emergency Tuesday in eight provinces affected by violence linked to drug trafficking, including areas covering Quito and Guayaquil.

President Daniel Noboa imposed the measures in seven coastal provinces, including Guayas, where Guayaquil is located, and in Pichincha, where Quito is situated. Three towns in Azuay, Bolivar and Cotopaxi provinces are also covered by the measures, which the government said were aimed at ending “serious internal unrest.”

Ecuador has become a major cocaine trafficking hub in recent years and has been affected by gangs with ties to Mexican and Colombian cartels. Last year, the murder rate stood at 51 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, equivalent to one murder every hour, according to Insight Crime.

Noboa has repeatedly declared states of emergency and curfews and deployed the military on streets and in prisons to try to restore order. The latest measures came days after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Ecuador and praised it as a “loyal” ally in the fight against drugs.