International
The Government of Ecuador proposes the temporary entry of foreign forces to combat insecurity
The Government of Ecuador, led by Daniel Noboa, is considering the temporary entry into the country of international special forces to strengthen the fight against transnational organized crime and insecurity, the National Secretariat of Communication of the Presidency reported on Wednesday.
In a statement, he pointed out that the Government proposes, “temporarily and in the context of the declared war against narcoterrorism, the incorporation of special forces from allied countries to support and enhance the actions of the Armed Forces and the National Police.”
“Mafias and drug trafficking operate on international networks, so it is necessary to act together to fight them more effectively,” he said.
In that sense, Noboa ordered the Foreign Ministry that, “respecting the constitutional framework and using the corresponding diplomatic channels,” make the approaches to coordinate efforts and establish cooperation agreements for this objective against insecurity in Ecuador.
The letter does not detail which nations the approaches will be made.
“Confronting a common enemy – the mafias and organized crime – requires unity and firm decisions. This proposal, along with other actions led by the government (…), seeks to strengthen the security of the country,” he says.
In that context, it urges the National Assembly to pronounce on this and other initiatives, such as the partial reform of article 5 of the Constitution that seeks to eliminate the prohibition on the establishment of foreign military bases in the country.
Last October, Noboa sent the draft constitutional reform to the National Assembly to open the door to the re-establishment of foreign military bases in Ecuador, prohibited by the Constitution promulgated during the mandate of former President Rafael Correa (2007-2017), which forced the United States to leave the Manta base in 2009.
Noboa had already announced last September its intention to promote that constitutional reform to allow the installation of foreign permanent military bases again, as part of its actions in the “internal armed conflict” it declared in January 2024 against organized crime.
The National Assembly must process the constitutional reform project, which, if approved, must be endorsed in a referendum.
The Presidency assured in October that it had the favorable resolution of the Constitutional Court so that this change in the Magna Carta is processed as a partial reform, considering the court that it does not restrict constitutional rights and guarantees, but refers only to insecurity in Ecuador.
Ecuador and the United States currently maintain maritime cooperation agreements for the capture of vessels that transport large amounts of cocaine from the Ecuadorian coast to North America and Europe.
Some of these prohibitions have been carried out by the United States Coast Guard in international waters, to later hand over the detainees and narcotics to the Ecuadorian authorities within their jurisdictional waters, according to the Ecuadorian Navy.
Likewise, both countries also signed last year a commitment act for the delivery to Ecuador of two patrol boats 33.5 meters long of the
International
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Ecuador’s Armed Forces carried out an operation on Monday — including airstrikes — against illegal mining in the town of Buenos Aires, in the country’s north, Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo reported.
The mountainous, gold-rich area has been a hotspot for illegal mining since 2017, located in the Andean province of Imbabura.
In 2019, former president Lenín Moreno deployed around 2,400 soldiers to the region in an attempt to curb the illegal activity. “The operation began with mortar fire, followed by gunfire and bombing runs by Supertucano aircraft,” Loffredo said in a video released by the Defense Ministry.
He added that the operation would continue on Tuesday with patrols across the area to locate possible members of “irregular armed groups that may have crossed from the Colombian border.”
The Armed Forces stated on X that the intervention focused on the “complete elimination of multiple illegal mining tunnels” in the areas known as Mina Nueva and Mina Vieja.
The operation coincided with the deployment of a military and police convoy into Imbabura, which has been the epicenter of protests against President Daniel Noboa since September 22, following his decision to scrap the diesel subsidy.
International
Caracas shuts embassy in Oslo without explanation following Machado’s Nobel win
Venezuela has announced the closure of its embassy in Norway, just days after opposition leader María Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Venezuelan diplomatic mission provided no explanation for its decision on Monday.
“It is regrettable,” a ministry spokesperson said. “Despite our differences on several issues, Norway wishes to keep the dialogue with Venezuela open and will continue to work in that direction.” The ministry also emphasized that the Nobel Committee operates entirely independently from the Norwegian government.
In its announcement, the Nobel Committee stated that Machado met the criteria established by Alfred Nobel, “embodying the hope for a different future, where the fundamental rights of Venezuelans are heard.”
International
Sheinbaum: Urgent to restore access to towns cut off by heavy rains
Thousands of military personnel and civilians in Mexico worked tirelessly on Tuesday to clear roads blocked by the torrential rains of recent days, which have left more than 300 communities cut off across central and eastern regions of the country. Authorities also launched mass fumigation efforts in several affected areas to prevent the spread of dengue fever.
The official death toll remains at 64, though dozens of people are still missing. President Claudia Sheinbaumacknowledged that the government does not yet know the full situation in many of the isolated villages, which range in population from 500 to 1,000 inhabitants.
“The reopening of roads is one of the greatest urgencies,” Sheinbaum said. “It’s essential to guarantee air bridges, food supplies, clean water, and a proper census of the isolated communities so we can determine the condition of every person living there.”
Private construction companies are also assisting the effort with heavy machinery and technical support to help reopen highways and reconnect rural areas.
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Caracas shuts embassy in Oslo without explanation following Machado’s Nobel win
Sheinbaum: Urgent to restore access to towns cut off by heavy rains
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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