US & Ecuador Launch Joint Operations
U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) has launched joint operations with Ecuador to combat designated "terrorist organizations" in the country. The move signals a new front for U.S. military engagement in South America at a time when its resources are already stretched by conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere.
The security cooperation follows Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa's declaration of an "internal armed conflict" in January 2024. This decree designated 22 criminal gangs, including major players like Los Choneros and Los Lobos, as terrorist organizations, authorizing the military to neutralize them. The declaration was a response to a surge in violence, including the prison escape of a notorious gang leader and an armed takeover of a television station. This escalation builds on a deteriorating security situation that has seen Ecuador's homicide rate skyrocket in recent years, transforming it from one of the region's most peaceful countries to one of its most violent. The country's strategic position between cocaine-producing Colombia and Peru has made it a key transit hub for drug trafficking, attracting the involvement of international cartels. Inter-gang conflicts intensified after the leader of the Los Choneros syndicate was murdered in late 2020, leading to fragmentation and a war for control over drug routes and prisons. In late January 2024, a high-level U.S. delegation, including SOUTHCOM Commander Gen. Laura Richardson and Special Presidential Advisor Christopher Dodd, met with President Noboa to strengthen security cooperation. The discussions focused on a five-year security assistance roadmap with a U.S. investment portfolio of $93.4 million. As part of the aid, the U.S. has already donated security and emergency response equipment. The current joint operations represent a significant step in U.S.-Ecuador defense relations. While the two countries have a history of security cooperation, including a previous 10-year agreement allowing U.S. surveillance flights from a base in Manta that ended in 2009, this new phase involves more direct operational support. Details of the offensive operations remain classified, but they are aimed at dismantling narco-terrorist structures.
