Daniel Noboa of Ecuador wants us and Europe to join the battle against bands

Ecuador President Daniel Noboa told the BBC that he wanted us, European and Brazilian armies to join his “war” against criminal gangs.

He added that he wanted US President Donald Trump to identify Ecuadorian bands as terrorist groups, as he did for some Mexican and Venezuelan cartels.

He also said that Ecuador’s law would be respected when asked about his recent partnership with Eric Prince, Trump’s ally and founder of a controversial private military company Blackwater.

Violence has increased in Ecuador in recent yearsWith bands fighting for drug trafficking routes. The greater part of the world cocaine is traffic through the ports of Ecuador.

President Noboa said earlier that he would like foreign military aid to help deal with drug addicts – but this is the first time he has separated the United States, Brazil and Europe.

Security – and how it deals with this – is a major problem for voters before Ecuador’s presidential vote leakage On April 13th.

Noboa has determined its 16 months of service by severe gang repression and militarization of the streets and prisons-but it also fell under the firing of critics who see its tactics as too heavy.

During his term of office, the percentage of the murder decreased by approximately 16% since 2023 to 2024, but he remained far higher than previous years, and in January 2025 the killings hit a record 781 in a month.

In an interview with BBC News, the current president said, “We must have more soldiers to fight this war.”

“Seventy percent of the world cocaine is coming out through Ecuador. We need the help of international forces.”

He said that what started as “criminal gangs” are now “international groups of terrorist” of 14,000 armed persons.

Donald Trump’s decision to identify some Latin American cartels as terrorist groups gave us more power to fight them.

Noboa told the BBC that he wanted his American counterpart to do the same with the Ecuadorian gangs: “I will be glad if he considers Los Lobos, Los Choneros, Los Tigerons as terrorist groups, because these are actually.”

Noboa has already ordered the Foreign Ministry to seek cooperation agreements with the “Allied Nations” to support the Ecuador police and the army, and also seeks approval from parliament to change the Constitution to allow foreign military bases in Ecuador.

In addition to constitutional changes, this will require other nations to be ready to offer it. The deployment of armies abroad can be risky and expensive, but there is some precedent for it. The United States had a military base for its anti -cotic operations in Ecuador until 2009 before they were banned by former President Rafael Korea.

The challenge of President Noboa will be convincing figures such as Donald Trump in the United States, or leaders in Europe, where many drugs are sent to which they are in their interests to stop cartels and drug trafficking.

In the Union of Trump Union Eric Prince, which he declared a few days ago, he said, “We are fighting an unconventional, urban guerrilla war. He has experience. He advises our armed forces, our police.”

Prince found a private military company Blackwater, which provides security services to US governments, but is also involved in a dispute. He sold the company in 2010.

Four Blackwater performers were convicted and closed for the murder of 14 Iraqi citizens on Nisur Square in 2007 and later pardoned by Trump in 2020.

Does President Noboa want to bring mercenaries to the country?

“Not necessarily mercenaries,” he said. “We are talking about armies. The United States, European, Brazilian Special Forces. This can be of great help for us.”

While some supported this move, some Ecuadors quoted the last record of G -n Prince and were afraid of abuse of rights in the country.

Asked by some of the past contradictions of Eric Prince, Noboa said that Ecuador’s laws should be complied with and war should be held legally.

But, he added, the cartels have “violated every possible human law in the last five years.”

“They crippled people. They raped thousands of women. They were trafficking in human organs. They traded illegal gold. They moved more than 1000 tonnes of cocaine a year.”

Last year, his iron approach fell under fire after Four boys were arrested by soldiers for suspected theft And later was found crippled and burned.

Noboa said these soldiers were in prison in anticipation of an investigation, but he would “fight to the end” to condemn the responsible persons.

He maintains that the armed forces are acting in proportion to the crime and noted an imbalance between its 35,000 military and 40,000 members of the armed gangs.

With a record number of killings in January, leading critics claim that his strict approach failed.

During the rally of the campaign, his left -wing contender Louisa Gonzalez said: “The campaign promises, made in 2023, should be delivered in a year and a half. Not two.

Noboa said it was normal to see the increasing violence before the election in his country, but he reiterated that Ecuador could not fight this problem alone: ​​”This is a transnational crime without a transnational security policy.”

While Albanian, Mexican and Colombian cartels worked together, there was no joint security policy among the countries affected by drug violence, he said.

Ecuador needs help, he said, as his economy is smaller than many in Europe or the United States, where most medicines are being sent.

He added drug trafficking, and illegal yield generates $ 30 billion ($ 23 billion) – about 27% of GDP – annually in Ecuador.

He has called on the countries where cocaine consumption is high, like the United Kingdom, to do more to deal with what they are arguing: “The product they consume has a chain of violence and misery.”

Violence and postpartemic unemployment made many Ecuadorians escape north.

Now they are one of the best nationalities crossing the dangerous jungle of Darien Gap from south to North America.

President Noboa is ready to take back Ecuadorian migrants from the United States, but not other nationalities, and said the country provides technical training to returning and minimum wage for three months.

For him, the solution is to improve “opportunities”.

“We must develop as an economy based on exports, jobs in Ecuador for these people.”

While he said that “100%” complicit in people who escape violence, he accuses the last “lack of a strong security policy”.

His message to the Ecuadorians now? “Stay – and you’ll see positive results. We reduce inflation. Companies are hired. The economy is recovering.”

Daniel Noboa will face Louisa Gonzalez as the vote expires next month.

He received only 0.5% more votes than her in the first roundAssuming the second round can be very close and polarizing.

With the security of the main problem for voters, his success – or not – may depend on whether the Ecuadorians think the progress was good enough.