Daily coverage from across the country, written for the expat community
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The militarization of Puerto Bolívar has surfaced the human cost: at least 300 families forcibly displaced, criminal group Los Lobos occupying up to 500 homes, and the terminal tied to 10.8 tons — 11.24% — of drugs seized nationally. Over 1,000 troops are searching 1,642 homes.
Interior Minister John Reimberg confirmed today that the nationwide nighttime curfew will end as scheduled on May 18. Operations during the curfew so far have produced over 2,000 detentions, 331 weapons seized, and nearly 500 people linked to criminal organizations.
President Noboa meets VP Vance this week to discuss security, migration, and trade. Ecuador is also seeking a civilian nuclear energy agreement with the US — a first.
Ecuador's May 3-18 curfew now covers 105 cantons across 9 provinces and 4 jurisdictions — including 17 cantons that have recorded zero homicides in all of 2026. Interior Minister Reimberg: no exceptions. Here's the updated list and what it means.
Two armed attacks in fewer than 15 days have shaken Salinas — Ecuador's best-known beach resort. Seven people were wounded in the Sunday attack on the malecón, and the canton has now recorded 13 homicides so far in 2026, two of them along the waterfront. Governor Xavier Negrete says he has formally notified Interior Minister John Reimberg. Here's what's known.
Ecuador's national hotel occupancy reached 40.3% in the most recent reporting period, up 3.6 percentage points year-over-year. The recovery is real but modest — pre-pandemic occupancy averaged 50-55% nationally. Coastal and Galápagos properties are leading the rebound.
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.
Ecuador's Interior Ministry reports a 28% decline in homicides for March 2026, alongside 4,300 arrests and 2,200 warrants executed. The numbers represent real progress, but the baseline is staggering: 2025 saw 9,216 homicides, making Ecuador one of the deadliest countries in Latin America.
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.
Pope Leo XIV delivered his first Easter message from the Vatican, calling on the world to reject indifference to violence and suffering. For Ecuador's deeply Catholic population, the new Pope's words carry particular weight during a Semana Santa marked by ongoing security challenges.
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.
