The Government of Ecuador announced yesterday, Wednesday, joint military operations with Colombia and the United States along the border between the two Latin American countries, where various armed groups are active, with the aim of combating drug trafficking.
Diplomatic relations between Quito and Bogotá have begun to improve since Abelardo de la Espriella, who belongs to the so-called hard right.
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In Ecuador, right-wing President Daniel Noboa has recently been accusing, in an increasingly sharp tone, the former Social Democratic President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, of failing toorganized crime effectively along the border between the two countries.
His government’s Defense Minister, Gian Carlo Lo Fredo, announced the joint deployment of military units from both countries along the border.
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The armed forces of Ecuador and Colombia will conduct “surveillance” operations and take action “against armed groups of insurgents operating in the area,” he told Radio Sucesos.
“The U.S. will also participate in the strategies we will implement, particularly in operations we will carry out along the border with Colombia,” the minister added.
Daniel Noboa, an ally of Donald Trump, is waging a “war” against drug-trafficking gangs with U.S. military support.
Ecuador and now Colombia have joined the “Alliance of the Americas,” an alliance with the stated goal of combating the cartels, in which some twenty countries in Latin America and the Caribbean participate—an initiative of U.S. President Trump.
Gian Carlo Lofredo emphasized that “the operations will be joint (…) not only with Colombia, but also with the U.S.”
“We had previously encountered a certain degree of passivity on the part of the Colombian government. Now we have a golden opportunity, as we have two governments (ed. in Quito and Bogotá) determined to crack down on these (outlawed) organizations, and we will benefit from U.S. support.”
Colombia is the world’s largest producer of cocaine, increasing quantities of which pass through ports in Ecuador on their way to markets in the U.S. and Europe.
Source: KYPE
