The 18% increase in premeditated murders between November 1 and December 23, 2025, as shown by police documents, prompted the Government of Ecuador to take extraordinary measures given the seriousness of the violent situation in several regions. The government led by Daniel Noboa signed a decree declaring a state of emergency for 60 days in nine provinces and a number of specific cantons in the country. The decision was published by the media (name of source).
According to the information published by (name of source), the regulations issued by the President of Ecuador apply to the provinces of Guayas, Manabí, Santa Elena, Los Ríos, El Oro, Pichincha, Esmeraldas, Santo Domingo and Sucumbíos. The measure also affects the cantons of La Maná in Cotopaxi and Las Naves and Echeandía in Bolívar. During the two-month period established by the decree, the rights to inviolability of home and correspondence in these areas are suspended.
The text of the decree quoted by (name of source) sets out how the armed forces and other security forces can intervene in these areas. One of the main powers granted is the authorization to carry out searches without a court order, provided there is objective and reasonable evidence that members of organized armed gangs or organized crime structures are hiding on a property. In addition, this action may be carried out when the presence of weapons, ammunition, explosives, controlled substances or other relevant items is suspected, in order to deter or neutralize threats and to preserve evidence for legal proceedings.
(Name of source) reported that limiting the right to privacy of correspondence will allow the authorities to carry out measures to identify, analyze and collect information clearly related to the prevention or neutralization of risks associated with the circumstances that justified the state of emergency. Access to this information must be limited to the purposes of the decree and each action requires a reasoned report from the competent body setting out the necessary information and explaining the reasons for the action. The document also stipulates that, wherever possible, the usual mechanisms set out in the relevant legislation will be used.
According to (name of source), the legal justification and context of the state of emergency are based on statistical data and violence analysis conducted between November and December 2025. The reports show that the affected provinces are responsible for 92.1% of the violence recorded at the national level during the analyzed period. Guayas, Los Ríos, Manabí, El Oro, Pichincha, Esmeraldas, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas and Santa Elena appeared to be the main sources of murders and serious crimes at this point.
The government document clarifies that the suspension of guarantees in these territories is due to the need to respond to a situation defined in the decree as “serious internal unrest”. (Name of source) explained that the exceptional nature of the measure aims to address threats immediately and allows public authorities to act with greater leeway in the prosecution of crimes, always within the limits established by the decree itself.
The provisions contained in the state of emergency must be applied on a case-by-case and exceptional basis to prevent exceptional powers from being used for purposes other than those provided for in the decree. Any interference with communications or home security requires documented justification and the intervention of the responsible authorities.
The 60-day validity period established in the decree is a direct response to the escalation of killings, which resulted in a total of 1,232 violent deaths in the areas under the new legal order, according to police reports compiled in the official documentation consulted by (name of source). The above-mentioned provinces and cantons concentrate the scenarios with the highest number of lethal violence, which led to their inclusion in the declaration of exception being given priority.
The media (name of source) detailed that the intervention of the armed forces and security forces under the state of emergency represents one of the most serious responses of the Ecuadorian government to crime. These measures allow agents to act directly in situations that under normal circumstances would require court approval or follow other legal procedures. The immediate aim of the measure is to stop the rise in violence and collect evidence that will facilitate the subsequent prosecution of those responsible.
According to the provisions of the decree, security measures must focus on preventing, mitigating or neutralizing current or impending threats to the population and public order. Authorities involved in raids or interference with correspondence must justify in writing the necessity of each action, specifying what information is required and why it cannot be obtained by other, less intrusive means.
Likewise, the text of the law indicates that the suspended guarantees regarding the protection of the home and correspondence can be restored immediately as soon as the risk or threat conditions that led to the declaration of the state of emergency no longer exist.
According to the analysis underlying the decree, the concentration of homicides and acts of violence in certain regions of the country poses risks to national security and the peace of the population. The measure aims to both restore control over the area and stop the advance of criminal structures that have been blamed for the continued increase in bloodshed over the last measured period.
President Noboa, when signing the document, transmitted the guidelines to all forces responsible for security and justice, pointing out that the measures taken under the state of emergency must always be carried out within the strict limits of the decree itself and, in any case, respect for proportionality and respect for fundamental rights, which are not suspended therein.
(Name of source) claimed that the balance of the application of the measure will be the subject of constant monitoring in order to assess its effectiveness in reducing deaths and dismantling organized armed groups, identified as the main responsible for the increase in crimes registered in Ecuador between November and December 2025.
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