Ecuador records drop in violent deaths after declaration of state of emergency

Ecuador’s Interior Minister, Juan Zapata, stated on August 23 that violent deaths have noticeably decreased in certain provinces where a state of emergency has been declared.

This special status was instated in coastal provinces, namely Los Ríos (south), Esmeraldas (north), Manabí (west), and in Durán, a region in the Guayas province (southwest).

The Interior Ministry provided figures comparing violent death rates 30 days before and after the implementation of this special status: Durán saw a 75% decline, Esmeraldas 26%, Manabí 27%, and Los Ríos 45%.

Minister Zapata emphasized the importance of revising current laws, including the 2008 Constitution, to prioritize combatting organized crime.

On July 24, President Guillermo Lasso signed Executive Decree No. 824, establishing a 60-day state of emergency in the aforementioned provinces.

Notably, as of March 3, a state of emergency had already been declared in Esmeraldas due to rising crime rates.

National Police data showed that in the first half of the year, Ecuador had a homicide rate of 16.02 per 100,000 residents, with a daily average of 19.6 deaths.

A significant increase was noted, with 3,568 homicides reported in the first half of 2023, up by 74.73% from 2,042 in the same period in 2022.

Last year, 2022, marked Ecuador’s highest recorded homicides at 4,603, translating to a rate of 26.68 per 100,000 – one of the highest in Latin America.

If the trend continues, experts suggest Ecuador could witness a rate surpassing 45 homicides per 100,000 by 2025, potentially making it the most violent country in Latin America.

This year, the nation also saw an unprecedented surge in political violence, culminating in the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio on August 9 after a rally in Quito.