08-01-2024

Since 2021, Ecuador has experienced a systematic escalation of criminal violence driven by Organized Criminal Groups (OCGs), primarily due to territorial disputes linked to transnational drug tracking. In 2023, the country recorded a signicant surge in homicide rates, rising from 25 to 42 violent deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, positioning Ecuador as the South American nation with the highest number of violent deaths. This critical context intensied in 2024, triggering a series of events that marked a turning point in national security.

Prison Riots and Declaration of State of Exception

On January 7, 2024, the Armed Forces and National Police conducted an operation at the Guayaquil Regional Social Rehabilitation Center (CRS) to transfer the leader of a major OCG to a maximum-security facility.

Following the reported disappearance of this individual, as conrmed by the Attorney General’s Oce, the Public Security and State Council (COSEPE) convened an urgent meeting. On January 8, at approximately 08:00, simultaneous riots were reported in Social Rehabilitation Centers across the provinces of Guayas, Cotopaxi, Azuay, Cañar, Loja, Napo, Chimborazo, El Oro, Tungurahua, and Pichincha. Correctional ocers and administrative personnel were held hostage, prompting interventions by specialized units to restore control.

In response, the President issued Executive Decree No. 110, declaring a 60-day State of Exception nationwide, restricting rights such as freedom of movement, assembly, inviolability of domicile, and correspondence. This decree authorized the mobilization of the National Police and Armed Forces. However, between the night of January 8 and the afternoon of January 9, violent incidents were reported in Pichincha, Esmeraldas, Azuay, El Oro, Chimborazo, Loja, Guayas, and Los Ríos, including car bomb explosions, vehicle burnings, kidnappings, and attempts to seize public and private spaces such as barracks, shopping centers, universities, media outlets, and hospitals. These events, broadcast live and amplied on social media, generated unprecedented collective panic.

On January 9, Executive Decree No. 111 acknowledged the existence of an internal armed conict, designating 22 OCGs as "terrorist organizations and belligerent non-state actors" and ordering military operations to neutralize them. Subsequently, on May 22, Decree No. 275 declared a state of emergency due to internal armed conict in Guayas, El Oro, Santa Elena, Manabí, Sucumbíos, Orellana, Los Ríos, and the Camilo Ponce Enríquez canton in Azuay.

Migration Measures and Shifts in Criminal Dynamics

On January 9, 2024, Peru declared a state of emergency along its border with Ecuador, intensifying controls in Tumbes, Piura, Cajamarca, Amazonas, and Loreto, and suspending international passenger transport between Tumbes and Huaquillas. On January 11, Ecuador’s Ministry of the Interior, through Ministerial Agreement 007, mandated a Criminal Record Certicate for foreigners entering via land borders with Colombia and Peru. This measure complicated legal migration, particularly for Venezuelans and Colombians, increasing the risk of irregular crossings and vulnerabilities such as robbery, extortion, and human tracking.

The military presence in public spaces altered OCG operations. While violent deaths decreased in Guayaquil and Esmeraldas, criminal activity shifted to Los Ríos and Manabí, particularly in Manta, where police and military presence was reinforced from June 3. According to the Ministry of the Interior, between January and March 2024, extortions doubled, and 38 kidnappings were recorded, primarily in Guayaquil, considered the country’s most violent city. E

conomic Measures and Energy Crisis

To fund the ght against drug tracking, the government increased the Value Added Tax (VAT) from 12% to 15% eective April 1, 2024, exempting 208 basic basket products but raising gasoline and domestic gas prices. This measure, coupled with the elimination of subsidies, sparked protests in several cities. Additionally, from April 15, programmed power outages of up to nine hours were implemented, impacting critical sectors such as healthcare, education, and industry. On April 19, Decree No. 229 declared a state of exception due to the energy sector emergency, mobilizing security forces to protect energy infrastructure.

On April 30, Decree No. 250 established a new state of exception in Guayas, Los Ríos, Manabí, Santa Elena, El Oro, and Orellana, but on May 11, the Constitutional Court declared it unconstitutional, questioning the "internal armed conict" justication. On July 2, another state of exception was declared in these provinces and Camilo Ponce Enríquez (Azuay), despite prior rejections by the Constitutional Court.

Economic measures, including the VAT increase and power outages, triggered social unrest. On July 4, groups protested in Quito against these policies, though without signicant disruption. The presidential elections, held in February and April 2025, also generated signicant political uncertainty amid ongoing security and governance challenges.