World
Ecuador declares state of emergency over gang crime
Ecuador imposes 60-day state of emergency on several cities in fight against crime
Quito: Ecuadorean President Guillermo Lasso has declared a 60-day state of emergency, including curfews in some areas and the deployment of thousands of security forces, in three of the country's 24 provinces, citing a rise in crime.
Guillermo Lasso tweeted that a curfew will be imposed and thousands of soldiers and police officers will be sent to Guayas, Manabí and Esmeraldas to "enforce peace and order".
Some 9,000 police and military will patrol streets in the provinces during the 60 days, while certain neighborhoods will have curfews from 11 pm until 5 am.
As per reports, the country has seen a sharp increase in murders and gang-related crime.
This is the second time Mr Lasso has used emergency powers to counter violence that has shot up since late last year in the Andean country.
His government blames drug trafficking gangs who use the country as a transit point for exporting narcotics to the United States and Europe.
A state of emergency Lasso put in place in October faced criticism from the Constitutional Court, which halved the emergency period to 30 days and said the military should only support police operations.
In February, several men were found decapitated in Duran, near Guayaquil, and two men were found handcuffed and hanging from a pedestrian bridge - a method used by Mexican drug cartels.
Ecuador has also seen the deadliest prison riots in its history, which shocked the country and exposed the power of gangs operating in its jails. In September, some 119 inmates were killed at a prison in Guayaquil.