US and European armies should join our war on gangs, Ecuador president says

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - QUITO — Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa has told the BBC he wants US, European and Brazilian armies to join his "war" against criminal gangs.

He added he wants US President Donald Trump to designate Ecuadorean gangs as terrorist groups, as he has done for some Mexican and Venezuelan cartels.

He also said Ecuadorean law would be respected when asked about his recent partnership with Erik Prince, an ally of Trump and founder of controversial private military firm Blackwater.

Violence has soared in Ecuador in recent years, with gangs battling to control drug trafficking routes. Most of the world's cocaine is trafficked through Ecuador's ports.

President Noboa has previously indicated he would like foreign military aid to help tackle drug cartels – but this is the first time he has singled out the US, Brazil and Europe.

Security – and how he is dealing with it – is a top issue for voters ahead of a run-off vote in Ecuador's presidential election on 13 April.

Noboa has defined his 16 months in office through a tough crackdown on gangs and militarising the streets and prisons – however he has also come under fire from critics who see his tactics as too heavy-handed.

During his term, the murder rate decreased by approximately 16% from 2023 to 2024 but it remains far higher than previous years, and in January 2025 killings hit a record 781 in one month.

In an interview with BBC News, the incumbent president said: "We need to have more soldiers to fight this war."

"Seventy per cent of the world's cocaine exits via Ecuador. We need the help of international forces."

He said what started as "criminal gangs" are now "international narco-terrorist" groups of 14,000 armed individuals.

Donald Trump's decision to designate some Latin American cartels as terrorist groups has given US law enforcement further powers to fight them.

Noboa told the BBC he wants his US counterpart to do the same with Ecuadorean gangs: "I would be glad if he considers Los Lobos, Los Choneros, Los Tiguerones as terrorist groups because that's what they really are."

Noboa has already ordered the foreign ministry to seek cooperation agreements with "allied nations" to support Ecuador's police and army, and is also seeking parliamentary approval to change the constitution to allow foreign military bases in Ecuador again.

As well as constitutional changes, it would require other nations to be willing to offer this. Deploying armies abroad can be risky and expensive but there is some precedent for it. The US had a military base for its anti-narcotic operations in Ecuador until 2009, before these were banned by former President Rafael Correa.

President Noboa's challenge will be convincing figures like Donald Trump in the US, or leaders in Europe where many drugs are shipped to, that it is in their interests too to stop cartels and drug trafficking.

On the alliance with Trump ally Erik Prince, which he announced a few days ago, he said: "We're fighting an unconventional, urban guerilla war. He has the experience. He's advising our armed forces, our police."

Prince founded the private military firm Blackwater that has provided security services to US governments but has also been embroiled in controversy. He sold the company in 2010.

Four Blackwater contractors were convicted and jailed for killing 14 Iraqi citizens in Baghdad's Nisour Square in 2007 and were later pardoned by Trump in 2020.

Does President Noboa want Prince to bring mercenaries to the country?

"Not necessarily mercenaries," he said. "We are talking about armies. US, European, Brazilian special forces. This could be a great help for us."

While some supported the move, some Ecuadoreans cited Prince's past record and feared rights abuses in the country.

When asked about some of Erik Prince's past controversies, Noboa said Ecuador's laws must be respected and warfare conducted legally.

But, he added, cartels had "violated every single human right possible for the last five years".

"They've mutilated people. They've raped thousands of women. They've trafficked human organs. They've traded illegal gold. And moved more than 1,000 tonnes of cocaine a year."

Last year, his iron-fist approach came under fire after four boys were arrested by soldiers over an alleged theft and later found mutilated and burned.

Noboa said those soldiers were in jail pending an investigation but that he would "fight until the end" to convict those responsible.

He maintained the armed forces were acting proportionately in tackling crime and noted an imbalance between his 35,000-strong military and 40,000 armed gang members.

With the record number of killings in January, leading critics argue his strict approach is failing.

During a campaign rally, his left-wing challenger Luisa González said: "The campaign promises made in 2023 were to be delivered in a year and a half. Not two. Not three. Did he deliver? No!"

Noboa said it was normal to see rising violence before elections in his country, but reiterated that Ecuador could not fight this problem alone: "This is a transnational crime without a transnational security policy."

While Albanian, Mexican and Colombian cartels worked together, there was not a joint security policy among countries affected by drug violence, he said.

Ecuador needs help, he argued, because its economy is smaller than many in Europe or the US where most drugs are shipped to.

He added drug trafficking and illegal mining generated $30bn (£23bn) – around 27% of GDP – annually in Ecuador.

He urged countries where consumption of cocaine is high, like the UK, to do more to tackle this arguing: "The product they're consuming has a chain of violence and misery."

Violence and post-pandemic unemployment have driven many Ecuadoreans to flee northward.

They are now one of the top nationalities crossing the dangerous Darien Gap jungle from South to North America.

President Noboa is willing to take back Ecuadorean migrants from the US, but not other nationalities, and said the country was giving returnees technical training and a minimum wage for three months.

For him, the solution is improving "opportunities".

"We need to develop, as an export-based economy, jobs in Ecuador for these people."

While he said he "100%" empathised with people fleeing violence, he blamed a past "lack of strong security policy".

His message to Ecuadoreans now? "Stay — and you'll see positive results. We're reducing inflation. Companies are hiring. The economy is recovering."

Daniel Noboa will face Luisa González in the run-off vote next month.

He received only 0.5% more votes than her in the first round, suggesting the second round could be very close and polarising.

With security the top issue for voters, his success – or not – may depend on whether Ecuadoreans think progress has been good enough. — BBC