Ecuador: On 6 November US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem concluded a two-day visit to Ecuador, where she met President Daniel Noboa, among other top officials. In a social media post she described Ecuador as “an excellent partner to the U.S. in our work to stop illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and smugglers on land and on the seas.” According to a press release by Ecuador’s foreign ministry, her visit’s objective was to “consolidate mechanisms of technical cooperation between the security institutions of both countries and strengthen capacity in the fight against transnational organised crime”. On 5 November, Noem was joined by Noboa and top officials including Defence Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo and Interior Minister John Reimberg at a former military base in Manta, Manabí province, which until 2009 had a presence of US troops. In a statement released by Ecuador’s presidency, Loffredo stressed the need for international cooperation in tackling organised crime, declaring that: “When… crime does not have borders, the security strategies shouldn’t either”. The visit to Manta was followed by a trip to another potential military site in Salinas, Santa Elena province on 6 November. According to Reimberg, Salinas has particular strategic importance as it is the point in mainland Ecuador which protrudes most into the Pacific Ocean and therefore serves as “a point from which… to conduct operations against criminal groups that try to affect Ecuador.” Plans for a return of US troops suffered a major setback on 16 November when voters rejected a referendum proposal which sought to lift a constitutional ban on foreign military bases that was introduced in 2008.
End of preview - This article contains approximately 999 words.
Subscribers: Log in now to read the full article
Not a Subscriber?
Choose from one of the following options
