Ecuador Declares 60-Day State of Exception in Nine Provinces After New Year’s Eve Attack

Overview

• Police say six people were killed and 11 wounded in the Manabí shooting on New Year’s Eve, and specialized units are investigating.
• The decree applies to Guayas, Manabí, Santa Elena, Los Ríos, El Oro, Esmeraldas, Santo Domingo, Pichincha and Sucumbíos for intensified security operations.
• Official data record more than 8,300 homicides from January through November 2025, a new annual high for the country.
• The presidential order cites over 1,200 killings in the nine targeted provinces between Nov. 1 and Dec. 23.
• Authorities and reporting link the surge in lethal violence to narcotrafficking gangs with ties to international cartels that use Ecuador as a cocaine route.