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20 May 2018 | 04:13 AM UTC

Ecuador: Reorganization of military command on Colombian border

Ecuadorian officials announce new task force charged with monitoring Colombian border to prevent further attacks in the area

Informational
security
ECU

Event

Ecuadorian officials announced in mid-May that the military plans to restructure its command along the Colombian border. All future deployment decisions in the area will be made under a task force that will monitor the border zone. The decision was made as the security situation along the border has deteriorated due to activity of dissident groups belonging to FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia).

Context

Security along Ecuador's border region with Colombia has deteriorated in recent months due to an increasing presence of Colombian organized crime groups, notably militants of the now-demobilized FARC guerrilla group who have refused to adhere to the 2016 peace agreement. A state of emergency in the border cantons of San Lorenzo and Eloy Alfaro (Esmeraldas province), recently extended to the end of June, was initially declared following a bombing that targeted a police station in San Lorenzo on January 27, wounding some 30 people. The attack has been attributed to ex-FARC dissidents and was likely in retaliation for security operations targeting drug trafficking along the Colombia-Ecuador border. A string of violent incidents has since occurred in the border region, including the following recent events:

  • March 20: An improvised explosive device (IED) killed three soldiers and wounded six more in the Mataje area of Esmeraldas province
  • March 26: An IED attack damaged a military vehicle in Mataje
  • March 26: The Ecuadorian army discovered a vacant FARC camp in the Putumayo area of Sucumbíos province
  • March 26: A team of Ecuadorian journalists was kidnapped in Esmeraldas by suspected ex-FARC militants and confirmed dead on April 13.
  • April 17: Two people were kidnapped by former FARC dissidents woring under the name the Oliver Sinisterra Front.

Advice

Individuals in Ecuador, particularly those in or planning travel to the Colombia-Ecuador border region, are advised to monitor developments to the situation and adhere to all instructions issued by the local authorities.

Analysis