Daily coverage from across the country, written for the expat community
Results for “disappearances”Clear
Ecuador recorded 2,539 disappearance reports between January and April 2026, up 2.1% from the same period of 2025. Adolescents accounted for 1,289 cases, making them the largest reported age group.
U.S.-Ecuador joint military operations under Operation Southern Spear have drawn international scrutiny after an NYT investigation revealed a promoted 'drug camp' strike actually hit a dairy farm. The UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances has raised concerns about military abuses under repeated states of emergency.
A New York Times investigation found that a joint U.S.-Ecuador military strike in early March, promoted by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as destroying a drug trafficking camp, actually destroyed a cattle and dairy farm in San Martin. Workers reported beatings, choking, and electrical shocks by soldiers.
Ecuador's government announced intentional homicides dropped 28% in March 2026 year-over-year, following a two-week nightly curfew in four provinces. The curfew provinces -- Guayas, Los Rios, El Oro, and Santo Domingo -- are not major expat areas, but the security trend is nationally significant.
Amnesty International submitted evidence to the UN documenting 10 people disappeared in five military operations in 2024, with 43 possible victims since 2023. A landmark court ruling sentenced 11 military officers to 34+ years for the disappearance of four teenagers in Guayaquil.
