Ecuador National Assembly Passes Reforms to Tackle Armed Groups

Ecuador's National Assembly on Saturday approved a reform backed by President Daniel Noboa to arm the government with new legal powers to confront armed groups and dismantle the drug-trafficking networks that fuel their criminal enterprises.

- Reuters

The bill was backed by 84 of the 141 lawmakers who were present in the legislature. Forty-six lawmakers voted against it, 10 abstained and one turned in a blank vote.

Noboa, 37, who began a full four-year term last month, declared an "internal armed conflict" in January 2024 against criminal gangs, just a couple of months after he was first inaugurated as president.