Ecuador is Willing to Host Logistics Outposts for Military Cooperation With the U.S.
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa (L). X/ @diariounoperu
April 1, 2025 Hour: 2:03 pm
Eric Prince’s Blackwater company will also advise this Andean country on security.
On Tuesday, Ecuadorian Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo confirmed that the administration of President Daniel Noboa is willing to establish several “logistical forward points” that U.S. forces can use in operations against transnational criminal groups.
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“The Manta base that existed in the past was a logistical forward point… Ecuador is open to all necessary logistical forward points so that these technological means and equipment, which are so important to confront this war we are waging, are available to us. Military bases, personnel, and everything will always be welcome,” he said during an interview with TC television.
Loffredo also confirmed that a group working with former U.S. military officer Erik Prince, founder of the private security company Blackwater—now called Academi—will advise and train the security forces of the Andean country.
“A group of them will arrive in the country in the coming days. We will begin the first work sessions with them. We are talking about advisory and training services, but their presence in the country will not necessarily be limited to those two areas,” the official said in a television interview.
“We have no reason to reject the help. This will allow us to achieve our objectives more quickly,” Loffredo said regarding the support in the fight against criminal gangs that President Daniel Noboa is also seeking from other countries, such as the United States.
On March 11, Noboa announced that he had met with Prince with the aim of establishing a “strategic alliance” to combat “narcoterrorism.” Founded in 1997, Blackwater is internationally known for having been involved in serious human rights violation allegations during the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
In an interview with the BBC, Noboa stated that Ecuador is fighting “against an unconventional urban guerrilla” and that Prince has “the experience,” which is why he has been advising the Armed Forces and the Police.
When asked whether he wanted Prince to bring mercenaries to his country, Noboa responded, “Not necessarily mercenaries.” “We are talking about armies. Special forces from the U.S., Europe, and Brazil. This could be a great help for us,” said the right-wing president, who will seek re-election on April 13.
At the beginning of 2024, Noboa declared Ecuador to be in an “internal armed conflict” against organized crime gangs, which were officially designated as “terrorist organizations.”
Since the right-wing took over the presidency of the republic in 2017, Ecuador has undergone a process of budget cuts and state reduction, which has turned this Andean country into the Latin American nation with the highest homicide rate. Currently, Ecuador has an average of approximately one murder per hour.
teleSUR/ JF
Source: EFE
