Government declares nighttime curfews in four provinces as violence surges

Residents of Guayas, Manabí, Los Ríos and El Oro Provinces will be subject to a nighttime curfew from September 17 to September 30. Ordered by President Daniel Noboa, the midnight to 5 a.m. curfew follows a series of mass murders in the four provinces in recent weeks.

Police enforce a May curfew in Guayaquil.

“We are intensifying our operations against criminal structures that seek to sow fear and challenge the State,” Interior Minister John Reimberg said Friday. “We understand that these measures will generate inconveniences, but they are necessary to protect the lives of citizens and recover tranquility in our communities,” he said.

Police commanders and prosecutors report a sharp increase in murders in the four provinces since mid-August, many of them the result of mass shootings in which at least 10 juveniles have been killed.

Both Reimberg and Noboa have claimed success in recent weeks in the fight against criminal gangs, reporting more than a dozen arrests of top gang members. In a September 4 interview, Noboa said that 30 gang leaders have been arrested since he took office in 2023, insisting: “We are on the road to winning the war against terrorists.”

Eight of the ten cities recording the most murders will be under curfew rules from September 17 to September 30.

Noboa cited statistics showing murders had declined 8% from January to July compared to the same period of 2025.

Former Guayaquil police commander Jorge Alarcón says the government may be claiming victory too soon. “The numbers are now going in the wrong direction and we have entered a very complicated period,” he said. “There is a fight for leadership and territory within the gangs and this is bloody business.”

Alarcón added that the gangs have not been dismantled. “They continue to do their business but more people die.”

On Tuesday, Guayaquil police reported 12 murders within a 14-hour period and 34 murders within 68 hours. Other mass shootings have been reported in Machala, Manta, Portoviejo and Santa Elena

According to Reimberg, the curfews will be strictly enforced. “Only first response personnel will be allowed to circulate during the curfew periods,” he said. “Prosecutors and duly accredited attorneys on official business will also be allowed on the street.”

He added that journalists will be allowed outdoors during curfews but only if they are accompanied by police.