Ecuadorian Parish Jimbura Demands Reopening of International Bridge with Peru

Approximately 2,400 residents of Jimbura parish in Espíndola, Loja province, have warned that the International Bridge linking Ecuador and Peru will be blocked by protests if it is not reopened by the weekend. The crossing has remained closed since President Daniel Noboa Azín ordered its shutdown on 24 December 2025, halting pedestrian and vehicular traffic and stalling local commerce.

Parish president Jorge Luis Jiménez Merino said the community will stage sit‑ins on the bridge and in front of the provincial governor’s office on 3 August if no progress is made, after unsuccessful pleas to Governor Juan Carlos Álvarez. The villagers point to the recent re‑opening of nearby border points at Macará and Zapotillo as precedents and stress that the closure is jeopardising families’ incomes.