Ecuador

The killing of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho," is unlikely to disrupt cocaine flows toward Central America and the United States, according to a new report.

The Americans are not believed to be participating in the actual raids but are helping Ecuadorian troops plan operations and providing intelligence and logistical support, one official with knowledge on the matter said.

A look at the main reasons that explain the trade war between the South American countries and its implications.

Ecuador has accused a U.S. immigration agent of attempting to enter its consulate in Minneapolis in what it described as a violation of international law.

The Department of Homeland Security rejected claims that immigration agents targeted a five-year-old boy during a recent enforcement operation in Minnesota, saying the child was "abandoned" when his father fled from officers.

South America is expected to lead in 2025, with growth of 2.9%, supported by recoveries in Argentina, Bolivia and Ecuador after contractions last year, ECLAC reveals

The move comes just weeks after Ecuadorian voters rejected a proposal to allow foreign military bases on the country's soil

Mario Pineida, a 33-year-old defender for Barcelona Sporting Club, was shot and killed Wednesday in an apparent targeted attack in the northern sector of Guayaquil, Ecuadorian police confirmed. The incident also left at least one other person dead and a third injured, according to authorities and local media.

Activities such as illegal mining, human trafficking and extortion have allowed organized crime to extend its reach over institutions, territory and entire communities, experts say.

Ecuadorian officials said Wilmer Geovanny Chavarría Barré had previously faked his death and assumed a new identity to hide in Europe while continuing to direct his criminal network from abroad.

Earlier this month, President Daniel Noboa met with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to discuss reopening the former U.S. military base in Manta, a coastal city in Ecuador, as part of the country's strategy against organized crime.

Ecuador's Interior Minister John Reimberg said inmates across the country have been staging violent uprisings to prevent their transfer to new maximum-security prisons.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem met with Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa in the coastal city of Manta to examine the capacity of a former U.S. military installation that could support future joint operations.

Scientists and conservationists have raised concerns about environmental consequences as the islands are a UNESCO World Heritage Site

An Ecuadorian citizen who survived a U.S. strike on a suspected drug-trafficking submersible was released from custody with no charges filed against him.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. would consider setting up a military base in Ecuador, a country that currently has a tense relationship with Venezuela, if invited by the South American country

Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa said Venezuela's authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro is a cartel leader and his government will do "everything to end narco terrorism"

Two Colombian soldiers were doused with gasoline and set on fire as the military attempted to destroy a cocaine laboratory.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited the Ecuadorian capital to declare two Ecuadorian gangs as foreign terrorist organizations.

Ecuador is negotiating a deal with the U.S. to receive hundreds of U.S. deportees who have refugee status as long as they have not committed crimes and have no health issues, the South American country's foreign minister said

Mexican cartels, particularly the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels, have entrenched themselves in Ecuador, partnering with local gangs that have adopted brutal tactics of violence, extortion, and corruption.

The current Secretary of State handed over the responsibility of USAID to Russel Vought, Director of the Office of Management and Budget.

In a deeply unsettling incident that has shocked both Ecuador and the wider region, Keyla Andreína González, a 28-year-old content creator from Guayaquil, Ecuador, was shot and killed in her home during a live TikTok broadcast.

Adolfo "Fito" Macías is the first Ecuadorian national to be extradited under a new legal provision approved by referendum in 2023 as part of President Daniel Noboa's broader security reforms

The lobbying efforts by governments like El Salvador and Argentina span requests for trade deals, military support, energy investments, and diplomatic access

An Ecuadorian soccer player's wife and 5-year-old child were kidnapped during a home invasion on Wednesday after the intruders appeared to be looking for him.

Mexico's Foreign Ministry flatly rejected claims made in Ecuador that hitmen from the North American country were travelling south to attack Daniel Noboa

With over 90 percent of the votes counted, the National Election Council said Noboa had an unassailable 12-point lead over his leftist rival Luisa Gonzalez.

The toll was reported by the local police chief, Herbie Guamani, and a police source said the gunfight involved opposing factions of a gang called Los Tigerones, one of the most powerful in this formerly peaceful country.

In a darkened military command center near the Peruvian border, eight Ecuadoran marines armed with rusting M4 rifles prepare for a patrol.