Allegations Surface That US Military Operations Are Targeting Ecuadorian Fishermen at Sea

Jose Hernan Flores, a fisherman from San Mateo, Ecuador, is still trying to recover from a hostile encounter with United States forces at sea. In March, Flores and his crew of 16 were aboard their vessel, La Negra Francisca Duarte II, searching for fish when military-style drones appeared and began attacking the ship.

“We saw drones exploding on the ship, and we did not understand what was going on. Two of our sailors were injured,” Flores told Al Jazeera. As the vessel caught fire, the crew abandoned ship and escaped onto smaller skiffs to seek assistance. However, the individuals on a nearby tuna vessel turned out to be US soldiers in military uniforms who proceeded to handcuff and blindfold the crew.

After treating the injured, the soldiers handed the crew over to a navy unit from El Salvador. The fishermen were held at sea for another week before being brought ashore and deported back to Ecuador. Flores stated that his $400,000 boat was completely destroyed, leaving him to continue paying off the loan he took out to purchase it. His account is just one of many from Ecuadorian fishermen reporting similar attacks by US forces.

While the US military has denied responsibility for sinking Flores's boat, the administration has intensified its maritime operations against suspected drug-trafficking in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea under the banner of combating narco-terrorism. Positioned between Colombia and Peru, Ecuador has become a key transit point for cocaine and a vital partner in these security efforts. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently visited Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, announcing $45m in additional security funding for the government of President Daniel Noboa and confirming that US elite forces are collaborating to dismantle terrorist organizations in the region.

Despite these security measures, coastal communities in Ecuador are facing mounting distress. In the fishing village of Santa Marianita, families have protested to demand answers about missing fishermen. Lourdes Mero reported that her husband and son disappeared in January near the Galapagos Islands when their vessel, the Fiorella, vanished with eight of its 10 crew members still unaccounted for. According to The Washington Post, the operation involving the Fiorella was part of a covert CIA program targeting drug-trafficking vessels, though the US has never publicly acknowledged the attack.

Fishing associations, such as the Manta Crew Members Association represented by Cesar Delgado, report that 80 percent of the local fleet is now remaining in port out of fear of being targeted by US forces. Delgado called on the US government to provide concrete evidence of drug trafficking rather than sinking vessels without proof. While the US Southern Command recently announced the interception and sinking of a floating refueling station linked to the Los Choneros gang, questions regarding legal standards and regional sovereignty continue to grow as judicial authorities in Ecuador begin releasing detained fishermen due to insufficient evidence.