Ecuador Declares 60-Day State of Exception in Eight Provinces

President Daniel Noboa signed Executive Decree 498, declaring a 60-day state of exception in eight Ecuadorian provinces and three additional cantons over organized-crime activity. The order suspends protections for homes and correspondence and authorizes coordinated Armed Forces and National Police operations, plus narrowly conditioned requisitions of goods and services. A midnight-to-5 a.m. curfew will apply in Guayas, Manabí, Los Ríos and El Oro from September 17 through September 30. The decree also covers Esmeraldas, Pichincha, Santa Elena, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, and the cantons Camilo Ponce Enríquez, Las Naves and La Maná.