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American troops launched joint operations with Ecuadorian forces on March 3, targeting cartel infrastructure across multiple provinces. Today, France24 reports that US-backed airstrikes are leaving border communities in fear. Here's the full picture.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro accused Ecuador of dropping bombs inside Colombia, claiming 27 charred bodies were found near the border. Ecuador's Noboa flatly denied it. The neighbors are now in their worst diplomatic crisis in years — and it's affecting everything from electricity to trade.
Ecuadorian soldiers stormed a clandestine jungle base in Esmeraldas province at dawn on February 17, capturing the Colombian leader of an Oliver Sinisterra Front cell and ten Ecuadorian members — the same FARC splinter group that kidnapped and murdered El Comercio journalists in 2018.
The ACLED Conflict Watchlist 2026 ranks Ecuador among the planet’s most dangerous nations. Over 3,600 people died from organized crime violence in 2025 — a 42% increase — and 71% of the population was exposed to criminal violence, the highest rate in Latin America.
