Ecuador votes on return of US military bases to tackle drug violence

Referendum asks whether to assistance law prohibition arsenic President Noboa seeks US assistance against cartels.

Ecuadoreans are voting connected whether to assistance a law prohibition connected overseas subject bases arsenic right-wing President Daniel Noboa pushes for assistance from the United States successful confronting spiralling drug-fuelled violence.

Nearly 14 cardinal radical formed ballots connected Sunday successful a referendum that besides asks whether to trim the fig of lawmakers.

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The ballot comes arsenic Ecuador grapples with unprecedented bloodshed, with the country’s homicide complaint projected to deed 50 per 100,000 radical this year, the highest successful Latin America.

Polls suggest much than 61 percent of voters backmost allowing overseas bases, which would apt spot the US instrumentality to the Manta airbase connected the Pacific coast.

US forces operated from Manta betwixt 1999 and 2009 arsenic portion of anti-narcotics efforts, until leftist President Rafael Correa held a referendum connected overseas troops, resulting successful their law ban.

Ecuador, erstwhile considered 1 of the much unchangeable countries successful the region, has successful caller years faced a crisp emergence successful violence, with cause cartels, including almighty ones from Mexico, exploiting porous borders and anemic institutions to grow their influence.

Noboa, a 37-year-old heir to a salient banana-exporting fortune, who took bureau successful November 2023, has responded with militarised crackdowns, deployed soldiers to the streets and prisons, launched raids connected pack strongholds, declared states of exigency and tightened information astatine cardinal infrastructure hubs.

The archetypal fractional of this twelvemonth saw 4,619 murders, the highest connected record, according to Ecuador’s Organized Crime Observatory.

As voting opened, Noboa announced the seizure successful Spain of Wilmer Geovanny Chavarria Barre, known arsenic Pipo, person of the notorious Los Lobos gang, who had faked his decease and fled to Europe.

He was arrested successful the Spanish metropolis of Malaga aft Ecuadorean authorities worked with their Spanish counterparts to way him down.

Interior Minister John Reimberg linked Chavarria to much than 400 killings and said helium had tally transgression networks from down bars for 8 years until 2019.

Noboa said the Los Lobos main had overseen illicit mining schemes and maintained trafficking connections with Mexico’s Jalisco New Generation Cartel, each whilst hiding successful Europe nether a mendacious identity.

The US designated Los Lobos and Los Choneros, different Ecuadorian transgression syndicate, arsenic “terrorist” organisations successful September.

Critics question whether subject unit unsocial tin code the crisis.

Former President Correa has described the instrumentality of overseas forces arsenic “an insult to our nationalist forces and an battle to our sovereignty”, adding: “We bash not request overseas soldiers. We request government.”

The referendum besides includes questions connected a constituent assembly that absorption groups fearfulness could let Noboa to consolidate power.

In August, Noboa led a objection against Constitutional Court justices, with officials calling them “enemies of the people” aft they constricted expansive information laws.

Critics of the president besides reason that a law rewrite volition not lick problems similar insecurity and mediocre entree to wellness and acquisition services.

Ecuador became a large cocaine transit hub aft the 2016 bid woody successful Colombia demobilised guerrillas from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), with planetary trafficking organisations rapidly filling the void.

The country’s Pacific ports, proximity to coca-producing Peru and Colombia, and anemic institutions person made it cardinal to the planetary cocaine proviso chain.

Noboa, who survived an onslaught successful October erstwhile his car was surrounded by protesters and struck by bullets, has compared his information attack to that of El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, posting images of shaven-headed inmates successful orangish uniforms astatine a caller mega-prison.