The president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, has decided to prolong the state of emergency in his nation by 30 days. The administration is facing increased violence that is being attributed to drug trafficking gangs.
Noboa stated in a decree released just after midnight on Thursday that an extension was required to preserve order, lower the number of homicides, and continue military patrols in jails and other dangerous regions of the nation.
Early in January, following a wave of violence that included the kidnapping of prison guards and the incursion of armed men into a TV station during a live broadcast, Noboa issued the first state of emergency since assuming office late last year.
The 36-year-old son of one of the wealthiest businessmen in the nation, Noboa, has labeled 22 gangs as terrorist organizations.
According to the decree, intentional homicides have decreased by half during the state of emergency, from an average of 24 per day to 12 per day.
According to Noboa’s press office, security personnel arrested about 11,700 people nationwide between January and Monday, including 280 persons on terrorism-related offenses. These operations were conducted in close proximity to 150,000. According to the report, 3,300 weapons and 64.3 tonnes of drugs have been found, and 14 suspected criminals have perished during operations.
Guillermo Lasso, Noboa’s predecessor, regularly declared states of emergency in an attempt to stem the swelling tide of violence in jails and on the streets, but with little success.