Forced disappearances, killings and torture: why is Ecuador’s brutal drug war being backed by the west?

Key Points:

• Since Ecuador declared an “internal armed conflict” in early 2024, security forces have allegedly forcibly disappeared at least 51 people, including teenagers Jairo Damián Tapia Álvarez and Jostin Elian Álvarez Chávez, amid a crackdown on drug trafficking.
• Families report brutal military raids involving beatings, torture, and extrajudicial killings, with victims often detained without due process and information withheld by the defense ministry citing security concerns.
• Western countries, notably the US, EU, and UK, have increased military and intelligence cooperation with Ecuador to combat drug trafficking, but critics warn this support lacks sufficient safeguards against human rights abuses.
• A US-backed military operation in March 2024 allegedly involved torture and attacks on civilians at a dairy farm, prompting calls from US lawmakers to suspend joint military operations with Ecuador until investigations are completed.
• Despite increased militarization and international support, Ecuador’s violence and homicide rates have surged, while families of the disappeared suffer ongoing trauma and demand an end to the military’s unchecked power.