Ecuador began two weeks of operations against drug traffickers on Sunday, supported by the United States. This is part of a 17-country cartel-fighting alliance launched by President Donald Trump at a recent summit.
President Daniel Noboa, a staunch ally of Trump in South America, has been targeting cocaine traffickers for the past two years. However, rates of associated crimes such as murders, disappearances, and extortion have not fallen.
Interior Minister John Reimberg announced on Tuesday that a “very strong offensive” would begin Sunday in areas worst affected by drug-related violence. Nighttime curfews were imposed in several coastal provinces during this period.
Reimberg stated, “We’re at war. Don’t take any risks, don’t go out, stay home.” Around 35,000 soldiers will be deployed along with armored cars and helicopters, according to images and video released by authorities.
“No further details were provided, and it was not clear if U.S. soldiers would take part directly on Ecuadoran soil,” Reimberg wrote in a social media post on Sunday. “To the mafias: your time is up. Nothing can stop us.”
Earlier this month, U.S. and Ecuadoran forces conducted joint strikes inside Ecuador, and last week the FBI said it would open an office in Ecuador to investigate organized crime, money laundering, and corruption in conjunction with local police.
Around 70 percent of the drugs produced by Colombia and Peru, the world’s largest and second-largest cocaine producers respectively, are shipped through Ecuador.