The Minister of the Interior of Ecuador, Monica Palencia, announced this Monday that the executive branch is preparing a legal framework thatand replace the state of emergency, it cannot be extended once it ends in early May and was announced in January to combat insecurity in the country.

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa on March 7 extended a state of emergency he had declared in January amid a wave of violence that included vehicle arson, prison riots with hostage takings and an armed attack on a live television station, among others.

At a press conference in the coastal city of Guayaquil, Palencia recalled that, according to constitutional provision, The state of emergency cannot be further extended in Ecuador. where Noboa also declared an “internal armed conflict” against 22 criminal groups, which he began to call “terrorists”.

Palencia said that once Noboa “signs the appropriate decree,” the “regulatory framework” according to which He seeks to maintain control of security in Ecuador. that during the Easter holidays he witnessed the murder of 17 people, twelve of them as a result of armed attacks and five after kidnapping.

“It is impossible to end violent events in four months,” Palencia said during the presentation of the Local Governance and Citizen Safety Program supported by USAID-Palladium.

Through this initiative, the government will connect and coordinate with decentralized autonomous governments, citizens, public and private organizations to implement security plans.

“The state must be present in the territory. We must bring the State closer to the people, to the priority territories.to those places that need us,” the Secretary of State emphasized.

He emphasized the central government’s security competence and engagement with local governments through the local governance programme.

“No powers are delegated, which by law is the sole responsibility of the central government. What is being done is creating connections for collaboration and being able to make a concrete impact in the area.“, he clarified.

Palencia noted: “We need to build the homeland by understanding the local reality and planning actions according to the needs of each territory.”