Ecuador extends state of emergency by 30 days. State of emergency declared on January 8 after gang leader's escape from prison.
More than 7,500 people arrested, 65 tons of drugs seized since then. Ecuador is located between Colombia and Peru, the world's main producers of cocaine. The Constitution authorizes the president to maintain a state of. emergency for up to 90 consecutive days, but not for an indefinite period because it is not linked to the state ofemergency. This measure is linked to “serious internal unrest” and the “internal armed conflict” facing the nation.