Ecuador armed forces to continue anti-crime operations with police-gov't

FILE PHOTO: Members of Ecuador's Navy talk to the captain of a ship they are inspecting during a river patrol, as the country struggles to bring spiraling violence under control, in Guayaquil, Ecuador March 28, 2024. REUTERS/Santiago Arcos/File Photo

QUITO (Reuters) -Ecuador's armed forces will continue carrying out joint anti-crime operations with the police under a presidential decree announced at midnight on Monday, the government said.

The operations were first allowed under a 90-day state of emergency declared in January by President Daniel Noboa and meant to stem a wave of crime and violence blamed on drug trafficking gangs.