Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa has authorized the deployment of foreign military personnel with criminal and civil immunity as part of expanded security operations against organized crime, according to a government decree issued Thursday.
The measure allows foreign troops to participate in operations under Ecuador’s declared “internal armed conflict” framework and provides legal protections for cooperating military personnel. The decree also grants Noboa authority to issue pardons and reduce sentences for members of the national police, armed forces and civilians involved in related security actions.
Noboa said the decision followed direct coordination with the Pentagon, expanding cooperation beyond previous arrangements that had focused primarily on intelligence activities without the presence of foreign troops on Ecuadorian territory.
The decree also calls on Ecuador’s National Assembly to consider granting amnesties aimed at providing additional legal protection for security forces involved in operations against organized crime.
The new policy was announced alongside another 60-day state of emergency covering 10 provinces, as the government continues its campaign against armed criminal groups operating across the country.
Ecuador has experienced a sharp increase in violence in recent years. Despite the government’s militarization strategy launched in January 2024, the country recorded 9,281 homicides in 2025, representing a rate of more than 50 murders per 100,000 inhabitants and placing Ecuador among the most violent countries in Latin America.
The expanded role of security forces has drawn attention from human rights organizations, which have documented allegations of abuses during emergency measures. Among the cases cited are the forced disappearance of four Afro-descendant minors in Guayaquil, who were detained by military patrols in December 2024 and later found dead near a military base.
Local courts recently convicted the soldiers responsible in that case, with sentences reaching up to 34 years in prison.
The government decree represents a significant expansion of Ecuador’s security framework by allowing foreign military participation and creating legal protections for personnel involved in operations against organized crime. The measures come as authorities continue efforts to confront escalating violence while facing scrutiny over the conduct of security forces.
