In the capital of Ecuador on April 19, 2024, President Noboa stood in front of the cameras of national television and announced with a grim expression the shocking news: the country's electricity sector had entered a state of emergency on the 17th due to power shortages and severe damage to infrastructure. The crisis has sparked widespread unrest in the country, causing extreme public disorder and a serious threat to social security. He therefore decided to put the whole of Ecuador under a state of emergency for 60 days.
President Noboa stressed that in the event of a state of emergency, the Ministry of Economy and Finance will have a great responsibility for allocating the necessary resources to respond to the current emergency. At the same time, armed forces and police forces have been deployed across the country to protect critical energy infrastructure from any sabotage, terrorist attacks or other potential threats that could affect its operations.
It is worth mentioning that the current extremely low water levels of hydropower plants in Ecuador have become a key factor in the severe power crisis that the country is facing. President Noboa ordered the suspension of the "working day" on the 18th and 19th on the 17th in response to this unprecedented crisis. He lamented that the crisis was caused not only by "environmental conditions", but also by "unheard-of corruption and dereliction of duty". His words are full of anxiety about the current state of the country and a strong determination for the future.