Ecuador: Murders cut in half since the military took to the streets

President Noboa's military measures in Ecuador have borne their first fruits. According to information distributed to the media Tuesday, homicides have been reduced by more than half in these two weeks of state of emergency. Since the deployment of the military in the streets of the country's main cities, crime has been kept at bay.

According to the data that the authorities provided to AFP, between Jan. 1-8, murders in Ecuador were at an average of 27.6 attacks per day. Since the military has taken part in policing, these same crimes have decreased to a daily rate of 10.8.

From a macro point of view, it is one of the first bits of good news for the Noboa government, which announced an offensive against the narco-terrorist groups that since 2020 have plunged the country into a spiral of street violence.

However, doubts arise about how long Daniel Noboa will be able to maintain the state of emergency that allows him to rely on the armed forces to maintain control in the country. It was learned that the president intends to reverse the actions of his socialist predecessor Correa and resume security cooperation with the United States.

The Ecuadorian state of emergency and the use of the military to maintain order are similar to measures taken by Nayib Bukele in El Salvador, despite the fact that experts have speculated that it is not possible to export the Bukele method to Ecuador, due to the differences between the two countries, which face different threats.