ECUADOR — Ecuadorian authorities detained 2,292 people during the first week of a nighttime curfew in five coastal provinces, according to figures released on Sunday by the country’s Interior Ministry. The curfew, the fourth President Daniel Noboa has decreed this year, is scheduled to end on Tuesday, so the final tally is still to come.

The Interior Ministry’s balance, reported by EFE, covers the first seven days of a curfew that began November 1 and applies from midnight to 5 a.m. in Guayas, Manabí, Los Ríos, El Oro and Esmeraldas.

Of the total, 1,763 people were arrested in Interior Ministry operations. Of those, 760 were held for violating the movement restriction itself, and another 1,003 were arrested on suspicion of crimes including illegal possession and carrying of weapons, robbery, intimidation and property damage.

The Defense Ministry reported a further 529 detentions during 1,567 military operations.

Officials also reported seizures that included roughly 612 kilograms of drugs, along with 565 vehicles and 1,188 motorcycles retained or recovered. Firearm counts vary by outlet, from 204 to 216, and the Interior Ministry’s complete breakdown should be consulted for the final figures.

The headline figure combines two different kinds of cases. About a third of the detentions, 760 of 2,292, were for breaking the curfew itself and not for a separate offense. The remainder are described as arrests for alleged crimes, which the government presents as evidence of the curfew’s effect on organized crime.

Noboa has used curfews and military operations as central tools since declaring an “internal armed conflict” against criminal groups in January 2024. Announcing the November measure in mid-October, he said a previous curfew, from September 17 to 30, reduced crime by 40%, but that criminal activity rebounded once it expired according to authorities.

Noboa also said joint operations with the U.S. Southern Command are showing strong results with international human rights organizations challenging the long-term costs of the government’s crackdown.

The curfew ends Tuesday, November 10, and local elections for mayors and prefects are set for November 29.

Senior security officials have not ruled out a fifth curfew before the end of the year. Whether the government extends or renews restrictions, and how it reports the final detention total, will be the next test of the strategy.