Ecuador: State of Emergency in 4 Provinces To Confront Protests

"To declare a state of exception due to serious internal commotion in the provinces of Azuay (south), Imbabura (north), Sucumbios (east) and Orellana (east), "says the decree signed by Lasso.

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The measure contemplates a daily strike from 21:00 local time until 5:00 (from 2:00 to 10:00 GMT) in the province of Azuay, while in Sucumbios and Orellana, it will be in force from 19:00 until 5:00 (00:00 to 10:00 GMT).

According to the document, the decision is aimed at guaranteeing the integrity of citizens.

In addition, it seeks to recover public order, control situations of manifest violence, protect reserved areas, and ensure the provision of medicines, medical gases, oxygen for hospitals and clinics, fuel and food.

Ecuador had already had a state of exception this month, but on June 25, Lasso repealed the decree that established it in six provinces to face the indigenous protests against his government; currently, of those six, only Imbabura has the measure again as of Wednesday's new disposition.

Wednesday's decree established as a security zone all the areas of influence included in the territories where the oil fields and their installations are located, as well as the hydrocarbon complexes in the Amazonian provinces of Orellana and Sucumbios.

Hours earlier, the mayor of Quito, Santiago Guarderas, asked Lasso to decree a new state of emergency for the Ecuadorian capital.

However, the Executive did not include the Metropolitan District of Quito or the province of Pichincha in the state of exception.