Ecuador declares state of emergency due to high crime rate

Ecuadorean President Guillermo Laso on Friday declared a 60-day state of emergency, including curfews in some areas and the deployment of thousands of security forces in three of Ecuador's 24 provinces, citing a high crime rate.

This is the second time that Lasso has used emergency powers to counter the violence, which has escalated since late last year in the country.

His government blames drug gangs that use Ecuador as a transit point for drug smuggling to the United States and Europe.

Lasso's state of emergency imposed in October drew criticism from the Constitutional Court, which halved the emergency period to 30 days and said the military should only support police operations.

The death toll from violence and crimes allegedly linked to drug trafficking rose this year in the provinces of Guayas, Manabi and Esmeraldas, where police operations resulted in the arrests of alleged gang members.

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