Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa has announced the closure of Ecuador's borders starting Saturday for three days, including the first round of the presidential election on Sunday in which he is a candidate.
"Faced with attempts at destabilization by armed groups, from Saturday 8 to Monday 10 February, the borders will remain closed," the leader declared on his social media X account Monday.
The 37-year-old head of state also decided to strengthen the military presence in border areas and to "immediately militarize the ports."
On Saturday, Daniel Noboa spoke of the arrest by his security team of 12 people dressed in police and army uniforms, carrying rifles, ammunition and equipped with a drone, while he was campaigning for his reelection, speaking of "narco-terrorists" seeking to "destabilize" the country.
Noboa, the son of a billionaire banana king, came to power in November 2023 to complete the 18-month term of his predecessor Guillermo Lasso, who had called early elections to avoid his impeachment amid corruption accusations.
In January 2024, the young president declared the country in "internal armed conflict" after the escape of a powerful drug lord from a Guayaquil prison sparked a wave of violence.
In Ecuador, at least twenty gangs are dedicated to drug trafficking, kidnapping and extortion, sowing terror and death in this country of 17 million inhabitants.
Located on the Pacific and with a dollarized economy, Ecuador — once considered a haven amid Peru and Colombia, the world's largest cocaine producers — has in recent years become a logistical hub for drug shipments.
Gang conflicts have sparked unprecedented violence there. In 2023, the country recorded a record rate of 47 homicides per 100,000 people.
Through states of emergency including the deployment of the army in the streets, the Noboa government claims to have reduced this homicide rate to 38 by 2024.
The liberal president and his left-wing opponent, lawyer Luisa Gonzalez, are due to face off again at the polls Sunday for the first round of the presidential election in Ecuador, after a first electoral contest in October 2023 won by Noboa with 52.1% of the vote. Indigenous leader Leonidas Iza is also a candidate.