Ecuador is once again turning to extraordinary security measures as the country continues its battle against organized crime and escalating violence.

President Daniel Noboa has declared a 60-day state of emergency across eight provinces, while an overnight curfew has gone into effect in four of the country’s hardest-hit coastal provinces.

The state of emergency covers:

El Oro, Esmeraldas, Guayas, Los Ríos, Manabí, Pichincha, Santa Elena and Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas.

It also applies to three additional cantons: Camilo Ponce Enríquez in Azuay, Las Naves in Bolívar and La Maná in Cotopaxi.

The measure took effect September 15 and will remain in place for 60 days.

That means both Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city, and Quito, the country’s capital, are located within areas covered by the declaration.

However, Quito is not under curfew.

Curfew Begins in Four Provinces

Beginning September 17, residents of Guayas, Manabí, Los Ríos and El Oro will face an overnight curfew from midnight until 5 a.m.

The curfew is scheduled to remain in effect through September 30.

That includes major cities such as Guayaquil, Manta, Machala and Babahoyo.

Essential workers, including health-care personnel, security forces and emergency workers, are among those exempt from the restrictions.

The government says the temporary curfew will allow police and military forces to intensify operations against organized criminal groups during overnight hours.

Why Did Ecuador Declare Another State of Emergency?

The government says the declaration is necessary because of what it describes as “grave internal commotion” caused by organized criminal groups.

The numbers behind the decision are alarming.

According to the government’s decree, 442 intentional homicides were recorded between August 16 and September 10 in the eight provinces now under the state of emergency.

That’s in less than a month.

Ecuador has spent several years battling criminal organizations involved in drug trafficking, extortion, kidnapping, illegal mining and other illicit businesses.

The country’s Pacific coast has become particularly important to international drug-trafficking organizations because Ecuador sits between Colombia and Peru, two of the world’s largest cocaine-producing countries, while ports such as Guayaquil provide access to international shipping routes.

Violence between competing criminal organizations has transformed what was once considered one of South America’s safer countries.

Military Returns to the Streets

The emergency declaration gives Ecuador’s Armed Forces expanded authority to work alongside the National Police.

Military personnel can be deployed to reinforce security operations, conduct controls and participate in operations targeting criminal organizations.

Some constitutional protections are also temporarily restricted in the affected areas.

The decree suspends protections involving the inviolability of homes and correspondence.

Under the emergency measures, security forces can enter and search properties without the normal requirement for prior judicial authorization when there are reasonable indications connected to criminal activity.

Authorities can also examine physical or electronic communications connected to investigations.

The government says these extraordinary powers are intended to help authorities locate criminal-group members, weapons, ammunition, explosives and illegal drugs.

Why Is Quito Included?

One particularly notable part of the latest declaration is the inclusion of Pichincha, the province that includes Quito.

The capital has traditionally avoided some of the extreme violence seen in Ecuador’s coastal cities, but authorities say organized criminal groups are increasingly active there.

The government has identified Quito as a strategic location for activities including drug trafficking, extortion, kidnapping, organized robbery and money laundering.

Authorities say organizations including Los Lobos, Los Choneros and Los Tiguerones are among the criminal groups operating or maintaining connections in the capital.

Ecuador had already deployed approximately 4,000 police officers and military personnel as part of a security initiative in Quito before the latest state of emergency was announced.

Despite Pichincha being included in the emergency declaration, there is currently no overnight curfew in Quito.

Ecuador’s Long Battle With Organized Crime

The latest declaration is another chapter in a security crisis that has dramatically changed Ecuador.

President Noboa has pursued an aggressive strategy against organized crime since taking office, frequently deploying the military and declaring states of emergency in areas experiencing high levels of violence.

The government has described the fight against criminal organizations as an “internal armed conflict” and designated numerous gangs as terrorist organizations.

Supporters of the government’s strategy argue extraordinary measures are necessary to regain control of communities affected by violent criminal organizations.

Critics and human-rights advocates have raised concerns about repeatedly suspending constitutional protections and expanding the military’s role in domestic security.

For ordinary Ecuadorians, however, the immediate reality is much simpler.

For the next 60 days, millions of people across eight provinces will once again live under emergency security measures.

And in Guayas, Manabí, Los Ríos and El Oro, the streets will go quiet between midnight and 5 a.m.

Ecuador’s fight against organized crime is far from over.