There has been a steady rise in violent attacks across parts of Ecuador as of late, prompting President Daniel Noboa to declare a new Security State of Emergency in seven provinces. However, as this is happening, human rights groups have decried human rights violations done by Ecuadorian authorities in their crackdown against the violent gangs plaguing the country.

The provinces of Guayas, El Oro, Santa Elena, Manabi, Sucumbios, Orellana, and Los Rios will all be under the new state of emergency, along with one area in the Azuay province.

The decree has not been passed into law yet, even though Noboa had already signed it. It will still submitted to the Constitutional Court where judges will consider whether or not the measure will be approved. Earlier this month, the same court previously ruled that a previous emergency declaration in five provinces was not sufficiently justified and thus ruled that the declaration was null and void.

Should that decree pass, Noboa can order security forces to enter homes in those seven provinces and one area and intercept correspondence without any prior authorization. The president, who is currently feuding with Mexico, has stated that the recent violence happening in the country is the main reason for the state of emergency decree.

In his previous state of emergency declarations, Daniel Noboa increased police and military operations to fight the various criminal organizations that have infiltrated Ecuador from Mexico and Colombia. The government has claimed that violent deaths fell 28% in the first months of the year, compared with the same period in 2023.

However, the government also admitted that other crimes like kidnappings and extortion have risen since last year despite the intensified crackdown.

Daniel Noboa's Campaign Against Crime Resulted in Human Rights Abuses All Over Ecuador

Meanwhile, human rights groups have protested against this "internal armed conflict" declaration from President Daniel Noboa and pointed out that there have been "serious human rights violations by security forces" as a result of his declaration last January.

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In his declaration on January 9, 2024, Noboa declared that Ecuador is in a state of "internal armed conflict" against 22 criminal groups operating in the country. He then labeled them terrorists and gave police more leeway to go after these criminal groups. However, this also resulted in civilians getting caught in the crossfire.

"The escalation of violence and the increase in organized crime in Ecuador jeopardize Ecuadorians' lives and institutions," Juanita Goebertus, Americas director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement to Mirage News. "Instead of announcing a baseless 'armed conflict,' the government needs to respond with an effective and rights-respecting security policy that protects Ecuadorians."

Ecuador President Daniel Noboa's Wife Tried To Construct a Luxury Resort in a Protected Forest

The Esterillo de Oloncito is an Ecuadorian forest protected by law and was declared a nature reserve. However, it is located on the shores of the Pacific and was a good spot to set up a resort. Lavinia Valbonesi, the wife of the president of Ecuador, recently tried to build one there.

According to El Pais, the Oloncito community took action and stopped workers from cutting down the forest to make way for the resort. This company still managed to cut down 21 carob trees while police and military tanks were present to stop community members, but this action garnered much criticism and the company was forced to back down from its plans.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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