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Original article: 900 días de excepción y más de 9.200 crímenes: Noboa militariza Ecuador, pero no logra frenar la violencia

Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa declared a new state of emergency on Tuesday in response to severe internal unrest across 10 provinces and three cantons, in a bid to address the surge of insecurity that keeps the nation on edge. This measure, effective for 60 days, grants law enforcement the authority to conduct searches and seize property but does not include a curfew. Nevertheless, this decision comes at a precarious time, as the country has already endured nearly 900 days under a state of exception since Noboa took office in November 2023, with violent crime rates still alarmingly high. The homicide rate at the close of 2025 reached 50.9 per 100,000 inhabitants, translating to 9,200 murders, underscoring the failure of a strategy focused on militarization without effectively curbing violence.

Executive Decree 432, which took effect this Wednesday, encompasses crucial provinces such as Guayas, Manabí, Pichincha (home to Quito), and Esmeraldas, along with the cantons of La Maná, Las Naves, and La Troncal. The official rationale is based on classified reports from the National Intelligence Center highlighting the presence of criminal networks and recent violent incidents, including the murder of Manta’s prosecutor, Alexandra Bravo. However, critics remain unconvinced by the extension of the measure, citing a lack of tangible results alongside the suspension of fundamental rights such as the inviolability of domicile and communications.

While the state of emergency does not impose mobility restrictions, it enables the Armed Forces and Police to intervene at their discretion in the designated areas. According to the right-wing president, the goal is to «ensure public order and citizen safety,» yet the Ecuadorian population approaches each new announcement with skepticism as violence persists unabated.

Meanwhile, according to Prensa Latina, human rights organizations and international bodies have voiced concerns over increasing reports of abuse during these military operations, which have led to numerous arbitrary actions without effective state oversight.

The new decree is set to expire on July 31 and represents the latest in a series of emergencies that began in January 2024. Noboa had previously vowed that 2025 would be the year to end the crisis, yet data points to any such progress being fundamentally misleading. The continuation of these declarations suggests that the government has entrenched itself in exception as a state policy, neglecting to address the underlying issues of organized crime.

The president’s significant shortcoming lies not in the frequency of decrees but rather in their ineffectiveness. With over 9,200 fatalities in 2025, Ecuador has established itself as one of the most violent nations in the region.

The lingering question remains whether the government is willing to change course or if it will continue to accumulate more days of emergency without resolving the crisis.

La entrada 900 Days of Emergency Measures: Noboa’s Military Response Fails to Curb Violence in Ecuador se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.