Ecuador has lifted its nightly curfew on the Pacific coast after ten nights in which police and soldiers apprehended 2,503 people, official totals to 9 November show. The restriction, which ran from midnight to 5 a.m., ended at 05:00 on Tuesday, 10 November 2026.

The curfew covered five coastal provinces — Guayas, Manabí, Los Ríos, El Oro and Esmeraldas — where the government of President Daniel Noboa concentrates operations against organised crime. It was the fourth curfew Noboa has imposed this year, set by Executive Decree 519, which amended the state of emergency declared on 15 September.

What the curfew delivered

Ecuador's Interior and Defence ministries published the totals up to 9 November. Police counted 1,963 apprehensions, including 813 people detained for breaking the curfew and 1,150 for other offences such as carrying weapons, robbery and intimidation. The balance also records 980 police operations and 758 checkpoints, according to Rio Times.

The final night's figures have not yet been published, and officials have not said how many of the 2,503 people detained will face charges. The curfew was imposed on 1 November, overlapping the Day of the Dead and Cuenca Independence holidays, a period the government said is historically linked to higher criminal activity.

Noboa has relied on states of emergency and curfews as a core part of his response to gang violence, after Ecuador recorded a record 9,283 homicides in 2025. He has pointed to a September curfew, which he said cut crime by 40%, although analysts quoted by EFE warn the drops are temporary and crime rebounds once restrictions lift.

The curfew ends less than three weeks before Ecuador votes in local elections on 29 November, when voters will choose mayors, prefects and councillors across the country.