Ecuador declares state of emergency in 7 provinces

Ecuador on Wednesday declared a state of emergency in nearly a third of its provinces after a surge in violence amid the government's ongoing war on drug gangs.

The measure, which allows for the deployment of soldiers in the street, was announced for a period of 60 days for seven provinces, according to a government decree. President Daniel Noboa had declared a state of emergency in January after a dangerous narco boss escaped from maximum security detention.

As gangsters set off car bombs, kidnapped police and murdered several people. And the president declared the country to be in a state of internal armed conflict and ordered the army to neutralize 22 criminal groups. The state of emergency expired last month.