QUITO, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa on Friday declared a 60-day state of emergency in seven provinces and three municipalities amid escalating internal unrest and armed conflict.

The provinces affected include Guayas, Los Rios, Manabi, Santa Elena, El Oro, Orellana, and Sucumbios, along with the Metropolitan District of Quito, La Troncal, and Camilo Ponce Enriquez.

Noboa cited rising crime rates and the growing presence of organized armed groups as the main reasons for the emergency, which aims to curb violence and support military and police forces deployed to restore public order.

Under the emergency measures, the right to inviolability of the home and correspondence was suspended in the affected regions. A nightly curfew was also imposed in around 20 cantons.

Since January 2024, Ecuador has been engaged in an "internal armed conflict" against organized crime groups labeled as "terrorists" by the government. ■