Ecuador: Humanitarian Access - Esmeraldas Province (November 2024)

Attachments

KEY MESSAGES

1. The province of Esmeraldas is experiencing widespread and pervasive violence marked by the constant movement of armed groups¹ into new areas of the region. This volatile environment of territorial conflict results in intermittent access for humanitarian actors and limits the population's access to basic goods and services.

2. The low level of awareness and political will among institutionals to recognise the humanitarian and protection impacts of the violence restricts the population's access to essential basic services, including specliazed routes for addressing gender-based violence (GBV), safe access to justice and complaint mechanisms and child protection. While official data is lacking, new phenomena such as internal displacement are becoming evident.

3. Humanitarian organisations have identified several limitations to humanitarian access, primarily hostilities between armed groups for control over territories, which hinder humanitarian operations. There are also interferences in the implementation of humanitarian activities, mainly by armed groups that particularly restrict initiatives aimed at preventing recruitment, protection and promoting a culture of peace. The cantons most affected by these constraints are Esmeraldas, San Lorenzo and Eloy Alfaro.

4. Armed groups also impose restrictions that obstruct the access of affected populations to essential services and assistance. The presence of invisible borders and the social and territorial control enforced by these groups severely restricts free movement and access to basic goods and services, such as health and education.

5. The ongoing energy crisis in Ecuador aggravates the perception of insecurity (the streets are often dark) and further restricts humanitarian access. In Esmeraldas, there are power outages of up to 16 hours a day, forcing the rescheduling of activities and limiting the provision of some services.

6. Girls, boys, adolescents and women are particularly vulnerability due to their high exposure to the risk of recruitment by armed groups, as well as stigmatization, the risk of gender-based violence (GBV) and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), and limited access to education and training opportunities. People in situations of human mobility and LGBTQI+ groups also face high levels of vulnerability, exposed to xenophobia, discrimination and other abuses that severely compromise their rights and access to assistance.

7. Areas exposed to both armed violence and natural hazards are of particular concern. During the rainy season, the physical environment can be affected by landslides, frequent road disruptions and security restrictions. These conditions negatively impact humanitarian efforts, hinder the delivery of assistance and limit access and mobility for both the population and organizations responding to the emergency. Persons with disabilities are particularly vulnerable as spaces are inadequate for their mobility and access.