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President Noboa signed Decreto 353 on April 2, declaring a 60-day state of exception across nine provinces and four cantons. Warrantless searches are now legal in affected areas, though no curfew has been imposed. Expats in Pichincha, Guayas, Manabi, and other covered provinces should understand what rights have been suspended.
Gunmen opened fire at a sports complex on Avenida 25 de Julio in southern Guayaquil, killing multiple people and wounding several others, including minors. The attack bears the hallmarks of gang violence and underscores why southern Guayaquil remains Ecuador's most dangerous urban zone.
President Noboa signed Decree 353 on April 2, declaring a 60-day state of emergency across 9 provinces and 4 additional cantons. Unlike the previous emergency that ended March 30, this renewal does not include a curfew -- but it does authorize police raids and suspends home inviolability in affected areas.
Ecuador became the first Latin American country to sign a security cooperation agreement with Europol, the European Union's law enforcement agency. Published in the Official Register on March 30, the deal enables joint operations against transnational organized crime and has already produced results -- including the dismantling of a cocaine network tied to Los Lobos and Albanian criminal organizations.
U.S.-Ecuador joint military operations under Operation Southern Spear have drawn international scrutiny after an NYT investigation revealed a promoted 'drug camp' strike actually hit a dairy farm. The UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances has raised concerns about military abuses under repeated states of emergency.
The FBI opened a permanent office at the U.S. Embassy in Quito on March 12, assigning a full-time agent to coordinate joint investigations targeting drug trafficking, weapons smuggling, and money laundering. Ecuador simultaneously created a new National Police unit to work alongside the bureau.
Jose Vinces, 44, founder of Vinces TV, was shot 10 times by two gunmen on a motorcycle after being lured to a cemetery by a fabricated tip about human remains. His microphone helped stop a bullet. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the attack and called for investigation.
Jose Vinces, founder of Vinces TV in El Oro province, was shot by two gunmen at a cemetery after being lured by a fabricated tip. The Committee to Protect Journalists has demanded a full investigation. Ecuador saw 168 attacks on journalists in 2025.
Three diplomatic developments in a single week: Ecuador ratified a cooperation treaty with Europol on March 26, expelled the Cuban ambassador without explanation in early March, and hosted U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on March 25-26.
Ecuador has imposed an 11pm-to-5am curfew in four coastal provinces — Guayas, Los Rios, Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas, and El Oro — as part of the ongoing state of emergency. The restriction runs through at least March 30, 2026.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has established its first permanent office in Ecuador, operating out of the U.S. Embassy in Quito. The office will focus on counter-narcotics intelligence, transnational crime, and cybercrime affecting both nations.
Ecuadorian journalist Jose Vinces was lured to a location under the pretense of investigating a tip and shot by unidentified assailants. The Committee to Protect Journalists has condemned the attack as part of a disturbing pattern of violence against press in Ecuador.
