️ The United States government has announced it is collaborating with Ecuador to combat “terrorists” in the South American country. On Wednesday, US Southern Command, the military unit overseeing operations in Central and South America, stated that joint efforts had already begun in Ecuador. General Francis Donovan said, “On March 3, Ecuadorian and US military forces launched operations against Designated Terrorist Organizations in Ecuador.” He called the operations “a powerful example of the commitment of partners in Latin America and the Caribbean to combat the scourge of narco-terrorism.”
️ The announcement appears to be part of US President Donald Trump’s broader push against criminal networks and drug cartels in Latin America. The scope of the Ecuadorian operation is not yet known, but several US news outlets have reported, citing government sources, that it is so far limited to supporting Ecuadorian troops through logistics and intelligence. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt praised the joint operation at a Wednesday news briefing.
️ However, critics have pointed out that drug trafficking is considered a crime under international law, not an act of war, and that such lethal actions can be considered extrajudicial killings. At least 44 aerial strikes have reportedly been carried out against alleged drug-smuggling boats and other maritime vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, resulting in 150 known deaths. The identities of the victims have yet to be confirmed by US officials, and no charges against them have been made public.
️ Additionally, the Trump administration has also launched military actions on Venezuelan soil, one in late December and a second on January 3. In both cases, the strikes were justified as law enforcement actions against drug traffickers. The second operation culminated in the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was subsequently imprisoned and charged with drug trafficking and weapons charges in a US federal court. That operation was likewise condemned as a violation of international law, with United Nations experts warning it was “part of a broader and deeply troubling pattern” of unprovoked military aggression.
️ Wednesday’s announcement comes two days after General Donovan, the head of US Southern Command, visited Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa and his defence ministers on March 2 in the capital Quito. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Ecuador has seen a spike in homicides and other violent crimes as criminal networks make inroads in the country. Previously, Ecuador had some of the lowest rates of violent crime in the region, earning the country a reputation as an “island of peace” in Latin America. But experts say the leap can be attributed to factors including high youth unemployment during the pandemic, economic instability, and a desire to exploit Ecuador’s strategic location on the Pacific coast between major cocaine producers like Colombia and Peru.
Source: www.aljazeera.com