Civilians faced attacks, abuse in joint US-Ecuador operations, HRW says
Human Rights Watch released a report documenting civilian attacks and abuses during joint US-Ecuador military operations targeting organized crime from January to March. The organization called for increased US Congressional oversight of the partnership, citing evidence that targeted properties were civilian farms rather than criminal facilities.
Human Rights Watch has published findings documenting harm to Ecuadorian civilians during coordinated US-Ecuador military operations conducted against organized crime. The investigation, based on 62 interviews and analysis of over 100 photographs, videos, satellite imagery, and other documentation, examined joint attacks on land and sea locations.
According to the report, during operations in early March near the Colombia border, Ecuadorian soldiers detained and tortured four dairy farm workers while burning properties and dropping munitions on locations. One detainee described being subjected to electric shock torture, stating he lost consciousness twice during the ordeal. The four men were subsequently released without charges, as no evidence was presented against them.
US and Ecuadorian authorities claimed the operations targeted facilities belonging to Comandos de la Frontera, an armed group operating across the Ecuador-Colombia border. However, HRW's analysis of photographs, videos, satellite imagery, and property records found no evidence supporting this claim. The organization determined that two targeted locations had been abandoned for years, while a third was an operating dairy farm where the detained workers were employed.
The report also documented US involvement in attacks on Ecuadorian fishermen in the Eastern Pacific, though the Trump administration has denied participation in these incidents. HRW's Americas director called for Congress to demand transparency and safeguards regarding US military cooperation with Ecuador, characterizing the partnership as insufficiently transparent and potentially dangerous for Ecuadorian civilians.
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