Nonetheless, the term of exception ended, the declaration of internal armed conflict, which was issued on January 9, will allow ongoing operations against the 22 gangs declared as terrorists, as well as against common crime.

The Constitutional Court (CC), in two rulings of February 29 and March 21, 2024, detailed that the Armed Forces may mobilize and intervene once the state of exception has expired due to the fact that Executive Decree 111 (state of war) is in force in Ecuador.

The Secretary of Communication of the Presidency Roberto Izurieta said the previous week that the military will not cease to act in prison operations until the results of the popular consultation and referendum on April 21 are disclosed.

Therefore, the police and military will continue in operations that the Executive framed in the known Phoenix Plan, a security strategy boosted by President Noboa during his campaign, and of which there are currently doubts about its content and effectiveness.

According to police data, during Easter Week there had been 137 murders, twelve of them occurred in two armed attacks in the coastal province of Guayas, one of the most affected by violence in the country.

Despite the militarization and curfew, kidnappings and extortions multiplied in some cities within the 90 days of the state of exception, although the Government assures that violent deaths in general did decrease at national level.

Latest figures unfolded showcased that on the progress of Plan Fenix within the framework of the internal armed conflict and the state of exception, over 13,000 people have been arrested, 280 of them on charges of terrorism.

In addition, the president is betting on the popular consultation scheduled for April 21 with the alleged goal of adopting other actions against insecurity; however, his proposal is considered unnecessary by different political and social organizations.

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