Since taking office in November 2023, President Daniel Noboa has decreed a total of 21 states of exception and 9 curfews; the latest began in the early minutes of this Sunday and will extend until the 18th of this month. The justification: to reduce levels of criminal violence and dismantle organized crime groups in Ecuador.
According to projections and analyses by experts in the field, so far in 2026, 74 percent of Ecuadorians are living under a state of exception. As of April 27, Ecuador had already accumulated 835 days under a continuous state of exception, dating back to November 23, 2023.
Authorities from the police, the armed forces, and the government itself have indicated that these measures are part of a strategy aimed at asserting territorial control during the hours and in the zones where criminal activity is most concentrated, given that nearly 40 percent of the country’s murders allegedly occur during the early morning hours—between 11:00 PM and 5:00 AM.
However, data from the Ministry of the Interior itself indicates, for instance, that in Guayaquil on March 31—the last day for which records are available—crimes were clustered around 11:00 AM, 6:40 PM, 7:10 PM, and 10:00 PM—just before the clock struck the curfew hour.
Regarding the decision to reinstate this extreme measure, Noboa has stated in various interviews that previous curfews reportedly reduced violent deaths by 21 to 28 percent in the areas where they were implemented—a result that has prompted their renewal and expansion to new areas. The reality is that, under the state of exception accompanying the curfew, police and military forces conduct joint operations and are authorized to enter private residences without a prior judicial warrant. From this Sunday until Monday, May 18, a curfew is in effect from 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. in provinces with high crime rates—including Guayas, Manabí, Los Ríos, El Oro, Santa Elena, Pichincha (including Quito), Esmeraldas, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, and Sucumbíos—as well as in specific cantons within other provinces. According to the Comprehensive Penal Code, non-compliance with this restriction may carry prison sentences ranging from one to three years.
To date, states of exception—accompanied by curfews—have resulted in more than 4,300 arrests. The majority of those detained were individuals returning from work, standing in doorways outside their homes (often due to the intense heat prevalent in Ecuador’s coastal region), or caught up in police sweeps conducted in neighborhoods deemed dangerous. Relatives have reported instances of mistreatment suffered by detainees within makeshift prisons established at police checkpoints.
