Ecuador begins military operation with the US and expels Cuban ambassador

The government of Ecuador gave new signs this Wednesday (4) of alignment with the United States’ security policy in Latin America.

Within hours, Quito confirmed the start of joint operations with the US Armed Forces, supposedly against drug trafficking and announced the expulsion of the Cuban ambassador and the island’s entire diplomatic corps from the country.

The Cuban ambassador in Quito, Basilio Antonio Gutiérrez García, and all the diplomatic staff of the Cuban mission in the country were expelled.

The decision was communicated through a note from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility of Ecuador, which granted 48 hours for the diplomats to leave the national territory.

The Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry says the measure was taken based on Article 9 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which allows a country to declare foreign diplomats persona non grata. The government, however, did not publicly present the reasons for the decision.

In an official statement, Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs classified the measure as “arbitrary and unjustified” and stated that the island’s diplomatic staff in Quito “strictly” complied with Ecuadorian laws and regulations, without interfering in the country’s internal affairs.

Havana also stated that the decision takes place in a context of increased pressure from the United States on governments in the region to join the policy of hostility against the island.

According to the Cuban Foreign Ministry, the measure was taken a few days before a summit called in Miami, scheduled for March 7, with the participation of Latin American governments aligned with Washington.

Operations in Ecuador follow Trump’s playbook for Latin America

The actions were released after a meeting between President Daniel Noboa and the commander of US Southern Command, General Francis Donovan. According to the American military command, the operations target organizations classified by the White House as “terrorists”.

According to United States authorities, American Special Forces soldiers are advising Ecuadorian troops in raids against suspected drug shipping facilities and other locations linked to drug trafficking.

Support includes operational planning, intelligence and logistics, although, according to Washington, the US military does not directly participate in ground operations.

In a statement, Southern Command stated that the actions are “a powerful example of the commitment of partners in Latin America and the Caribbean to combat the scourge of narcoterrorism.” The Ecuadorian Ministry of Defense did not detail the operations and stated that the information is reserved so as not to prejudice future actions.

Through social media, Noboa stated that the country is beginning “a new phase against narco-terrorism and illegal mining” and that, throughout March, it will carry out joint operations with regional allies, “including the United States”.

The military cooperation comes just months after Ecuadorians rejected in a referendum a government proposal to allow the return of foreign military bases to the country. The initiative, defended by Noboa as an instrument to expand international collaboration in the fight against drug trafficking, was defeated at the polls by around 60% of voters.

The announcement of the operations also comes after the release of the Donald Trump administration’s new regional security strategy for Latin America, which seeks to expand its zone of influence in countries with allied governments.

In the region, presidents such as Javier Milei, in Argentina, José Antonio Kast, in Chile, and aligned governments in countries such as Paraguay and Peru have strengthened their rapprochement with Washington on issues related to Defense, drug trafficking and migration.