Ecuador Conducts Bombing of Drug Cartel Camp with US Assistance

The Ecuadorian armed forces conducted a bombing operation in recent days against a large camp linked to drug cartels, utilizing support from the United States. The attack, reported by the French newspaper "Le Monde," targeted a complex used by criminal groups as a training and logistical base. The government in Quito confirmed that the operation was carried out with significant intelligence and logistical support from Washington, highlighting the strengthened bilateral cooperation in combating transnational organized crime. The operation is part of a broader offensive by Ecuadorian authorities against drug gangs and cartels, which have significantly increased their presence and level of violence in the country in recent years. Ecuador's President, Daniel Noboa, who took office in November 2023, declared a state of "internal armed conflict" against criminal groups, authorizing the military to conduct operations within the country. The bombing of the camp is one of the most spectacular manifestations of this military strategy. Authorities claim that destroying the base will seriously weaken the cartels' recruitment, training, and financial capabilities, although they have not yet provided a detailed damage assessment or the number of criminals killed or arrested. Ecuador, once considered an oasis of peace in the region, has become a major hub in the international cocaine trade over the last decade, competing with Colombia and Peru. Its geographical location between the world's two largest coca producers and access to ocean ports have made it an attractive transit corridor for Mexican and Albanian cartels. Drug-related violence has surged dramatically, symbolized by grenade attacks and prison massacres.US support for this operation is not coincidental. Washington has for years provided Ecuador with military and training aid as part of the fight against drugs, seeing the stability of this Andean country as a strategic interest. The escalation of gang violence in Ecuador is viewed as a threat to regional security that could generate instability and increased migration. „L'opération illustre la détermination de Quito à utiliser tous les moyens à sa disposition, y compris la force aérienne, contre les groupes criminels qui ont pris le contrôle d'une partie du territoire national” (The operation illustrates Quito's determination to use all means at its disposal, including air power, against the criminal groups that have taken control of part of the national territory.) — Le Monde. The success of this specific mission may encourage further, similarly aggressive actions, but experts warn that military solutions rarely lead to the lasting defeat of cartels, which quickly rebuild their structures. An effective strategy would require combining security operations with deep reforms of the judiciary, prison services, and social development programs in the poorest regions.