The president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, has decreed the imposition of a nighttime curfew in several coastal provinces in order to strengthen the fight against criminal organizations and support military operations conducted in these regions.
The measure will take effect on March 15 and will apply to the provinces of Guayas, El Oro, Santo Domingo, and Los Rios. The curfew will be in place every night between 23 p.m. and 5 a.m.
These territories, located on the country's Pacific coast, are major drug trafficking routes in Latin America. Ecuadorian authorities state that this measure aims to facilitate security operations against criminal groups involved in drug trafficking.
The government also indicated that these operations would take place with the support of the United States, as part of enhanced cooperation to combat transnational organized crime networks.
For several months, Ecuador has been facing an escalation of violence linked to drug cartels, which use the country as a platform for exporting cocaine to Europe and North America. Authorities hope that these nighttime restrictions will limit the movements of criminal groups and help regain control of areas particularly affected by insecurity.
