Ecuadorians March Against Noboa as U.S. Democrats Urge Rubio to Pause Security Cooperation

Protesters marched in 12 Ecuadorian cities on Saturday, Nov. 7, against President Daniel Noboa’s government, as 13 Democratic members of the U.S. Congress urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to suspend security cooperation with Quito over what they described as democratic backsliding. The Ecuador protests drew about 1,000 people in Quito, about 200 in Guayaquil and about 100 in Cuenca, according to Ecuavisa and La Tercera.

Marchers raised a range of demands: better health care, including access to dialysis; reversal of cuts to university funding; action on insecurity; and the release of Luisa González, the opposition Citizen Revolution leader who was detained on Oct. 22 as part of an investigation known as Caso Laberinto. Latin Times reported that some protesters called for Noboa’s resignation.

The letter to Rubio

The 13 lawmakers asked the State Department to suspend security cooperation with Ecuador until the government addresses concerns about the rule of law, La Tercera reported. Ecuador has become one of Washington’s closest security partners in South America under Noboa, who declared an “internal armed conflict” against criminal gangs in 2024. Democrats won majorities in both chambers in last week’s midterm elections and take control in January, so letters like this one could carry more weight in future budget and oversight fights. The new balance is tracked in our U.S. Congress tracker.

Curfews and detentions

A curfew is in force in five provinces from Nov. 1 to Nov. 10, running from midnight to 5 a.m. It is the fourth curfew this year, and more than 1,500 people have been detained under the current measures, according to La Tercera. The government says the measures are needed to control gang violence. Homicides have averaged about 23 a day, with 2,778 recorded between January and April.

Opposition politicians say emergency powers have been used against critics as well as gangs. The detention of González, Noboa’s rival in last year’s presidential race, has become a focus of those complaints. Prosecutors have not publicly detailed all the allegations in the Caso Laberinto investigation.

Elections and politics

Ecuador holds local elections on Nov. 29. Noboa has requested 15 days of leave to campaign, according to Ecuavisa. In July, the National Electoral Council rejected a bid to hold a recall referendum against him.

The region is seeing a broader debate over U.S. security partnerships. In Colombia, Washington and Bogotá have launched a joint operation, covered in our report on the Southern Vanguard deployment, and Paraguay’s political crisis, in which the president resigned over a bank collapse, shows how quickly governments can be shaken.

What to watch

The marches were modest in size compared with the nationwide strikes Ecuador has seen in past years, but they brought together groups with different grievances, from university students and staff facing budget cuts to patients’ families worried about dialysis and supporters of González’s party. That breadth is what opposition leaders hope to build on before the vote. The government, for its part, says the curfews and emergency measures are needed to bring down gang violence.

The end of the curfew on Nov. 10 and whether the government extends it will be the first signal. The State Department’s response to the Democrats’ letter, and any move in Congress to condition aid, would test U.S. support for Noboa. The Nov. 29 local elections will show whether the protests reflect broader discontent at the ballot box.

Sources

• La Tercera: Presidente de Ecuador enfrenta protestas mientras demócratas amenazan frenar alianza militar con EE.UU.
• Ecuavisa: Jornada de manifestaciones contra el Gobierno de Noboa
• Latin Times: Ecuador protests demand Noboa resignation