Ecuador Imposes Nightly Curfew Across Nine Provinces Amid Surge in Gang Violence
Primary region South America
Tags Security · Protest
Regions South America
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa declared a nightly curfew (23:00-05:00) from May 3-18 across nine provinces — Guayas, Manabí, Santa Elena, Los Ríos, El Oro, Pichincha, Esmeraldas, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, and Sucumbíos — plus four cantons. This is the eighth state of exception in Noboa's administration; Ecuador has spent all but eight days of the past 12 months under emergency measures. The country recorded 2,509 homicides in the first four months of 2026, with Guayas province alone accounting for 43.8% of all killings. More than 15,500 people have been killed in the first two years of Noboa's administration — approximately one violent death per hour. The immediate trigger was a Guayaquil weekend with at least 11 dead across multiple armed attacks. Noboa has blamed neighboring Colombia for not stopping cartels along the border and imposed tariffs on Colombian imports in January.
Strategic interpretation
The curfew is an admission that Noboa's security strategy — which included deploying 75,000 soldiers and conducting joint US-Ecuador drone operations — has failed to curb cartel violence. The staggering homicide rate (one per hour) makes Ecuador one of the most violent countries in Latin America. The bilateral tensions with Colombia over border security and tariffs complicate regional cooperation against transnational crime. Noboa's repeated use of emergency measures raises democratic governance concerns and may erode his political support over time.