Ecuador On Track To Allow a U.S. Military Base in the Galapagos Islands

U.S. Military. X/ @PIAnoticias

December 16, 2024 Hour: 9:17 am

This will happen despite the fact that the Constitution prohibits the presence of foreign military forces on Ecuadorian territory.

On Saturday, the Mexican newspaper La Jornada published an article claiming that US military ships will arrive in the Galapagos Islands in the coming days, effectively establishing a US military base on an archipelago of invaluable scientific significance.

“Ships, military personnel, weapons, equipment, and submarines will be able to operate in this archipelago, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978,” journalist Orlando Perez wrote, noting that this decision implements a decree signed by President Daniel Noboa on February 15, 2024.

On December 10, the Comprehensive Security Project for the Insular Region and the Guidelines for the Implementation of the U.S.-Ecuador Cooperation Agreements were approved.

“The initiative aims to combat drug trafficking, illegal fishing, and other illicit maritime activities in this region of Ecuador. It also seeks to prevent violent conflicts and related crimes among narco-terrorist groups linked to international cartels vying for control over drug export routes and territorial dominance for drug sales,” La Jornada’s article mentioned.

Panama is, perhaps, the country in Central America that has suffered under the longest US shadow. During World War II, the US installed as many as 100 military bases, and it was the base of Washington’s Latin American military training apparatus.https://t.co/iM2BRCkiUV
— The Real News (@TheRealNews) July 26, 2024

The decision of the Noboa administration follows an agreement signed between Ecuador and the United States on October 6, 2023, by then-President Guillermo Lasso.

“That document outlined that the U.S. Department of Defense’s military and civilian personnel, as well as its contractors, would be granted privileges, exemptions, and immunity equivalent to those enjoyed by administrative and technical personnel of diplomatic missions under the Vienna Convention,” Perez explained.

“In practice, this amounts to the establishment of a military base, similar to what occurred between 1999 and 2009 in the coastal city of Manta. That agreement was not renewed by then-President Rafael Correa, and the 2008 Constitution prohibited the presence of foreign military forces or bases on Ecuadorian territory,” he added.

Due to this constitutional limitation, Noboa submitted a proposal to the National Assembly for a partial amendment to the 2008 Constitution to remove the article prohibiting foreign bases. However, this bill has not yet been reviewed or approved by the Ecuadorian lawmakers.

“Former Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Fernando Yepez described the development as an example of ‘unacceptable, shameful, dangerous, and undignified colonial servility.’ There is no awareness of national sovereignty, Ecuador’s interests, or the negative experiences with foreign military bases,” Perez concluded.