Daily coverage from across the country, written for the expat community
A new report on digital recruitment describes how criminal groups use social media, narcoculture symbols and algorithmic engagement to pull minors toward illegal activity. The warning comes as adolescent arrests and violent deaths among minors remain a major national concern.
President Daniel Noboa issued Executive Decree 424 on June 18, opening a path for allied foreign military personnel to support Ecuador’s security operations. Officials say foreign troops are not expected immediately, while 13,000 Ecuadorian military personnel are being deployed to Guayas, Manabí, El Oro and Los Ríos.
Guayaquil airport officials said the Jose Joaquin de Olmedo terminal remained operational for domestic and international flights after a June 17 shooting outside the airport. Access was temporarily restricted while police worked the scene, but authorities said passengers inside the building were safe.
Tumbaco residents and Quito firefighters are watching the dry season closely after serious fire emergencies between 2023 and 2025. Forest fires have fallen in the urban Tumbaco sector, but waste burning remains a persistent risk, with 73 waste-burn events in 2025 and 19 already counted in 2026.
Ecuador’s new state of exception applies for 60 days in ten provinces and three cantons. There is no curfew for now, but the decree allows temporary limits on home and correspondence protections while security forces operate in the covered areas.
Ronald Javier Macias Villamar, known as alias Javi and identified as the brother of Los Choneros leader alias Fito, was captured in Colombia. Ecuadorian officials say the operation involved the National Police, Armed Forces, National Intelligence Center and Colombian authorities.
Ecuador has placed 17 provinces, 143 cantons and 491 parishes under a preventive yellow alert for a possible El Nino event. Local governments have until June 23 to submit action plans, but only three municipalities had filed plans as of June 15.
The Infrastructure and Transport Ministry announced an emergency declaration for the Cuenca-Giron-Pasaje road after landslides closed the section between kilometer 76 and 105. Authorities estimate about 200,000 cubic meters of material on the roadway.
A frontal crash between a pickup truck and a cargo truck near the Zapotal bridge left 12 people dead on June 14. ECU 911 said the crash happened at about 04:14 on the Guayaquil-Santa Elena highway.
Authorities detained 16 people on San Cristobal after an operation near the Muelle de los Marinos. Police reported the seizure of boats, outboard motors, mobile phones and electronic devices in a fuel-trafficking investigation.
Ecuador recorded 2,539 disappearance reports between January and April 2026, up 2.1% from the same period of 2025. Adolescents accounted for 1,289 cases, making them the largest reported age group.
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck near Macara, Loja, at 01:35 on June 13. The quake was felt in Loja, Azuay and El Oro, but national risk officials had not reported injuries or significant structural damage by the close of the source report.
