The US government has announced it will work with Ecuador to fight “terrorists” in the South American country.
U.S. Southern Command, the military unit that oversees operations in Latin America, posted Wednesday that joint operations have already begun in Ecuador.
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“On March 3, Ecuadorian and U.S. forces began operations against designated terrorist organizations in Ecuador,” said General Francis Donovan.
“This operation is a powerful example of the efforts of our partners in Latin America and the Caribbean to combat the scourge of narco-terrorism.”
The statement was accompanied by black-and-white aerial surveillance footage showing military helicopters taking off and people boarding the helicopters on the ground.
The announcement appears to be part of US President Donald Trump’s broader efforts to tackle criminal networks and drug cartels in Latin America.
The scope of the Ecuador operation is not yet clear, but multiple U.S. news outlets, citing government sources, have reported that so far it has been limited to supporting Ecuador’s military through logistics and intelligence.
At a press conference Wednesday, White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt praised the joint operation.
“Together, we are taking decisive action to confront narco-terrorists who have long inflicted fear, violence and corruption on populations across the hemisphere,” she told reporters.
Military operations against cartels
Since taking office for his second term last year, President Trump has moved to refer to several prominent cartels as “foreign terrorist organizations.” The term usually refers to armed groups with political objectives.
His administration combined these labels with an increasingly militaristic approach to combating drug trafficking, including bombing suspected smuggling vessels.
But critics point out that drug trafficking is considered a crime under international law rather than an act of war, and such deadly acts could be considered extrajudicial killings.
At least 44 airstrikes were carried out on suspected drug-smuggling vessels and other maritime vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean.
As a result, the known death toll is now 150. The victims’ identities have not yet been confirmed by U.S. authorities, and charges against them have not been made public.
The two survivors of the October submarine attack were immediately repatriated to their home countries of Ecuador and Colombia, where they were later released.
Families in Colombia and Trinidad and Tobago, however, say the dead were not drug traffickers, but fishermen or undocumented workers who were traveling between Venezuela and neighboring islands.
The Trump administration has also launched military operations on mainland Venezuela, the first in late December and the second on January 3. In both cases, the attacks were justified as law enforcement actions against drug traffickers.
The first attack targeted a quay believed to be used by the transnational gang Torren de Aragua. The second culminated in the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who was subsequently imprisoned and indicted in U.S. federal court on drug trafficking and weapons charges.
The operation was similarly condemned as a violation of international law, with UN experts warning that it was “part of a broader and deeply problematic pattern” of unprovoked military aggression.
New developments in President Trump’s anti-drug campaign
But the Trump administration has signaled plans to expand military operations against suspected drug traffickers to other targets on the ground. Announcements from Ecuador signal a new front for military attack.
Wednesday’s announcement came two days after General Donovan, commander of U.S. Southern Command, visited the capital Quito on March 2 with Ecuador’s President Daniel Novoa and defense minister.
Since the onset of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020, Ecuador has seen a surge in murders and other violent crimes as criminal networks have entered the country.
Previously, Ecuador had one of the lowest rates of violent crime in the region, earning the country a reputation as Latin America’s “Island of Peace.”
But experts say the jump could be due to a number of factors, including high youth unemployment during the pandemic, economic instability and a desire to take advantage of Ecuador’s strategic location on the Pacific Coast among major cocaine-producing countries such as Colombia and Peru.
Right-wing leader Noboa, who has been in power since 2023, campaigned for re-election last year on a promise to curb rising crime. He is closely associated with the “mano dura” or “iron fist” approach to law enforcement.
President Trump has also encouraged Latin American leaders to be more aggressive in dealing with criminal networks, and Mr. Novoa and Mr. Trump have threatened Colombia, led by leftist leader Gustavo Petro, for not complying.
For example, Novoa plans to raise tariffs on Colombian imports to 50% on March 1 as punishment for failing to crack down on cocaine trafficking.
Novoa announces “new phase”
On Wednesday, General Donovan praised the Ecuadorian military’s “unwavering dedication” to “the fight against narco-terrorism in our country.”
“Together, we are taking decisive action to confront narco-terrorists who have inflicted fear, violence and corruption on populations across the hemisphere for years,” he said in a statement.
President Novoa, who has hosted Trump administration officials many times over the past year, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, also welcomed the increased cooperation.
“The fight against drug trafficking and illegal mining is beginning a new phase,” Novoa wrote on social media on March 2.
“The safety of Ecuadorians is our top priority and we will fight for peace in every corner of our country. To achieve this peace, we must take decisive action against criminals wherever they are.”
Still, critics reacted to Wednesday’s announcement by expressing skepticism and alarm over increased U.S. military operations overseas.
Brian Finucane, a senior adviser at the International Crisis Group think tank, wrote on social media that the US has not yet clarified its role in the joint operation and what its goals are.
“My sense is that some people in the administration want to put American military boots on the ground somewhere for operations against ‘narco-terrorists’ and to brag about it publicly,” Finucane said.
“Ecuador was more docile than, say, Mexico.”
