With the help of the state of emergency, the forces of the armed forces can be used to support the police. The declaration of exception also restricts, among other things, freedom of assembly and movement at night.
President of Ecuador Daniel Noboa has declared a state of emergency in the country, informs the Ecuadorian presidential office on their website.
According to the presidential office, the state of emergency is used to bring the drug gangs that plague the country under control and the prisons known for violent riots back under control.
The state of emergency declared on Monday local time in Ecuador limits, among other things, freedom of assembly and freedom of movement at night. In addition, the declaration gives the authorities rights to violate domestic peace and bilateral communication.
The declaration of a state of emergency also enables the mobilization of the country’s armed forces to assist the police. Soldiers can be recruited to support the police both on the streets and in prisons.
– I have declared a state of emergency so that our armed forces get all the political and legal support for their actions against these drug terrorists, Noboa said in a post published on his Instagram account in the message.
The state of emergency has reportedly been declared for a total of 60 days.
In the past, states of emergency have been declared in Ecuador in order to bring the violence under control, but the results have been meager.
The crime boss escaped from prison on Sunday
Center-rightist Noboa took office as the country’s president in November. Noboa, who came to power at the age of 35, promised in his election campaign that he would try to get the violence plaguing the country under control.
More than 400 people have died in prison violence and riots in Ecuador in just the last few years.
On Sunday, the leader of the Los Choneros crime gang Adolfo Macias escaped from prison. Macias served a 34-year prison sentence.
According to the country’s agency responsible for prison care, at least six prisons had some kind of clashes on Monday.
Sources: AFP, Reuters