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
Erin brings strong winds and storm surge despite weakening offshore
Hurricane Erin weakened to a Category 2 storm on Tuesday but continues to pose a threat to parts of the U.S. East Coast with potentially dangerous flooding, according to meteorologists.
Although the hurricane’s eye is expected to remain offshore, experts are concerned about Erin’s size, as strong winds extend hundreds of kilometers beyond the storm’s center.
In its 18:00 GMT bulletin, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) lifted tropical storm warnings for the Bahamasand Turks and Caicos Islands, but kept them in effect for parts of North Carolina.
Erin was located several hundred kilometers southeast of North Carolina and was moving northwestward.
“This means there is a risk of potentially life-threatening flooding of 60 to 120 centimeters above ground level,” said NHC Director Michael Brennan.
He also warned of the possibility of destructive waves, combined with storm surge, that could cause severe damage to beaches and coastal areas, making roads impassable.
International
Three U.S. Warships deploy near Venezuela to combat drug trafficking
Three U.S. naval vessels are moving toward the coasts of Venezuela, according to international media reports on Tuesday, after White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt confirmed that President Donald Trump is ready to combat and curb international drug trafficking.
Reports indicate that the ships will reach Venezuelan waters within the next 36 hours as part of a recent U.S. deployment aimed at countering international narcotics operations.
The announcement coincides with Leavitt’s statement that Trump is prepared to “use the full extent of his power” to halt drug flows into the United States. The naval deployment involves approximately 4,000 military personnel.
“The President has been clear and consistent. He is ready to use every element of U.S. power to prevent drugs from flooding our country and to bring those responsible to justice. The Maduro regime is not the legitimate government of Venezuela—it is a narco-terror cartel,” the spokesperson said during a press conference.
International
Cuban authorities free salvadoran convicted in 1997 hotel bombing
Salvadoran national Otto René Rodríguez Llerena was released after serving a 30-year prison sentence for his involvement in a terrorist attack at a hotel in Cuba in 1997, the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.
During his trial, Rodríguez Llerena admitted to placing an explosive device at the Meliá Cohiba Hotel under the orders of anti-Castro exile leaders. He was arrested the following year when he returned to Havana with another load of explosives that failed to detonate.
“The Cuban government reiterates its commitment to combating terrorism, respecting human rights, and the need for the international community to hold accountable those who promote such acts,” the statement read.
He was released on August 15 and is the second Salvadoran to complete his sentence. In December of last year, another Salvadoran, Ernesto Cruz León, was released after planting bombs at tourist centers, one of which killed an Italian tourist identified as Fabio Di Celmo.
A third Salvadoran, Francisco Chávez Abarca, also received a 30-year sentence from Cuban courts in 2010 after being extradited from Venezuela through Interpol for actions against Cuba.
Rodríguez Llerena had requested conditional release in 2016, arguing that his actions had not caused any direct fatalities, but no further information was released about his situation until now.
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