Dear clients,
The President of the Republic of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, declared a 60-day state of emergency in the country on 8 January 2024, with a night curfew from 23.00 to 05.00.
This was after the escape of José Adolfo Macías Villamar, nicknamed "Fito", the leader of the Los Choneros drug cartel, from prison in Guayaquil. After news of Fito's escape from prison spread, prison riots spread to at least six other prisons in different provinces of the country. Dozens of dangerous criminals have managed to escape from the prisons. Criminal groups have declared war on the state and President D. Noboa. Subsequently, the unrest spread to all areas of Ecuador. In the country's major cities of Quito, Guayaquil, Esmeraldas, Cuenca, Loja, there were violence against the army and police, explosions of planted explosives in cars, arson of public institutions and incitement to public disorder. Thousands of members of the Ecuadorian police and armed forces have been deployed in the fight against criminal groups. The Ecuadorian Government is not yet in full control of the situation.
The security situation in the country is bad. Armed raids and robberies are frequent. Armed gangs in major cities are terrorising the population and attacking state institutions. There are reports of blockades of access roads to major cities, e.g. Portoviejo-Guayaquil, causing problems when travelling within the country. The airport of Guayaquil, the country's second largest city, is closed. Food supplies are beginning to fail. Information from rural and remote parts of the country is lacking.
We do not recommend travelling to the urban areas of Esmeralda, Guayaquil, Loja, Cuenca, where the security situation is particularly bad and further developments are unpredictable.
It is important to follow the instructions of the police and the armed forces and to strictly observe the night curfew between 23.00 and 05.00.
In the current situation, travel within the country is recommended only when necessary.
Some airlines have suspended flights to Ecuador, which may create a problem when travelling out of Ecuador.
