Rubio pledges US aid for Ecuador, to ‘wage war’ on gangs designated as terrorists
The move, which includes US$20 million in security aid and drones, aims to bolster Ecuador’s fight against drug cartels
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday promised security aid to Ecuador and announced terrorist designations as he vowed to ramp up a regional fight against criminals following a US strike on a boat allegedly linked to Venezuela.
Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa, an emerging ally of US President Donald Trump, has deployed troops to combat violence that has transformed the country from one of Latin America’s safest to one of its most dangerous.
Rubio, meeting with Noboa in the centuries-old palace in Quito’s old city, said the United States would provide nearly US$20 million in security aid including US$6 million in drones.
He also said that the United States was designating two gangs, Los Lobos and Los Choneros, as foreign terrorist organisations - putting them directly into US crosshairs.
Rubio told reporters that he was helping Ecuador to “wage war against these vicious animals, these terrorists”.