QUITO, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- Ecuador will impose a temporary curfew in four coastal provinces affected by organized crime, Interior Minister John Reimberg said Friday.
The curfew will be in effect from Sept. 17 to 30 in Guayas, Manabi, Los Rios and El Oro, running from midnight to 5 a.m. local time.
Reimberg said the measure is aimed at supporting security operations against criminal groups and will be accompanied by a broad deployment of police and military forces.
"This measure responds to a concrete security need," he said on X, adding that authorities would intensify operations against groups seeking to "spread fear and challenge the state."
Ecuador has been under an "internal armed conflict" since 2024, when President Daniel Noboa declared the measure to step up the fight against criminal groups, which authorities blame for much of the country's surge in violence. ■
