The U.S. and Ecuador carried out a joint operation targeting drug trafficking operations in the South American country, authorities in both countries said on Friday, with the U.S. calling the move &#8220;lethal kinetic operations.&#8221;
Neither the U.S. Southern Command, a branch of its military that oversees forces in Latin America, nor Ecuador&#8217;s defense ministry, said if anyone was killed or captured in the strike, which Ecuador dubbed operation &#8220;Total Extermination.&#8221;
The operations used helicopters, aircraft, river boats and drones to locate and bomb a drug traffickers&#8217; training camp in north-east Ecuador near the Colombian border, Ecuador&#8217;s defense ministry said in a statement.
The camp belonged to the Comandos de la Frontera (CDF), a Colombian crime group made up of FARC dissidents, and had a capacity for 50 people, it added.
Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa has made a military crackdown on organised crime a cornerstone of his administration, and his government imposed tariffs on its larger neighbor Colombia, accusing it of not doing enough to fight drug trafficking.
He is set to travel to Miami this weekend to take part in the Trump administration&#8217;s &#8220;Shield of the Americas&#8221; summit, which brings together many right-wing leaders across the region with a focus on regional security and organized crime.
&#8220;The United States is a key ally in this fight,&#8221; the defense ministry said.
&#8220;At the request of Ecuador, the Department of War executed targeted action to advance our shared objective of dismantling narco-terrorist networks,&#8221; Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell wrote on X.
The operation followed a similar U.S-Ecuadorean operation announced by the U.S. Southern Command earlier this week.
(Reporting by Jasper Ward in Washington, Alexandra Valencia in Quito and Sarah Morland in Mexico City; Editing by Christian Martinez and Diane Craft)

Ecuador Military

U.S., Ecuador Bomb Drug Trafficker Camp Near Colombia Border, Militaries Say

Drug Cartels

Ecuador

Global Politics

South America

World

The United States struck a &#8220;terrorist&#8221; target in Ecuador on Tuesday, flexing its military might while simultaneously carrying out full-scale war against Iran.
On Tuesday, U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) announced that U.S. and Ecuadorian military forces launched joint operations against &#8220;Designated Terrorist Organizations in Ecuador,&#8221; saying the narco-terrorist group had &#8220;long inflicted terror, violence, and corruption on citizens throughout the hemisphere.&#8221;
This announcement marks a significant shift from training missions to active engagement. SOUTHCOM Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan praised the &#8220;unwavering commitment&#8221; and &#8220;courage&#8221; of the Ecuadorian armed forces, characterizing the collaboration as a decisive strike against the &#8220;scourge of narco-terrorism&#8221; that has destabilized the hemisphere through violence and systemic corruption.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
On March 3, Ecuadorian and U.S. military forces launched operations against Designated Terrorist Organizations in Ecuador. The operations are a powerful example of the commitment of partners in Latin America and the Caribbean to combat the scourge of narco-terrorism.
Together,… <a href="https://t.co/MrkKZcrDbs">pic.twitter.com/MrkKZcrDbs</a>
&mdash; U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/Southcom/status/2029011785567572285?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The joint operation is the culmination of a strategic move by Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa. Since taking office in 2023 and securing a <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/4-things-know-about-young-conservative-anti-crime-president-ecuador-who-just-re-elected?intcmp=tw_fnc">full four-year term</a> in April 2025, the Miami-born, pro-Trump conservative has consistently campaigned for international intervention. Noboa argued that what began as local gangs had evolved into international narco-terrorist groups who were responsible for roughly 70% of the world’s cocaine transit.
To facilitate this military cooperation, the U.S. government took several formal steps throughout 2025: In September 2025, the United States officially designated major Ecuadorian gangs Los Choneros and Los Lobos as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs). These joined the February 2025 FTO designations of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua and the Mexican Sinaloa and CJNG cartels, all of which maintain significant operations within Ecuador.
In July 2025, the leader of Los Choneros, José Adolfo Macías Villamar (alias &#8220;Fito&#8221;), was extradited to the United States.
There has been a staggering rise in violence in Ecuador. Despite Noboa’s &#8220;no-holds-barred&#8221; strategies—including <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/fears-another-narco-state-rise-latin-american-country-readies-pivotal-vote">declaring</a> an &#8220;internal armed conflict&#8221; in 2024—Ecuador has struggled with the highest murder rate in Latin America. In 2024 alone, the country recorded nearly 7,000 homicides, forcing approximately 95,000 citizens to flee the country.
While previous leftist administrations, such as that of Rafael Correa, expelled the U.S. military in 2014, Noboa has actively courted a U.S. presence, even expressing interest in hosting a permanent U.S. military base.
For the United States, a stable, pro-American Ecuador is viewed as a critical bulwark against the influence of ideological groups opposed to the United States.

Screenshot

WATCH: U.S. Military Strikes ‘Designated Terrorist’ Target In Ecuador

From Training To Action: U.S., Ecuador Escalate War On Designated Terrorist Organizations

Donald Trump

President Donald Trump secured &#8220;breakthrough trade deals&#8221; with Argentina, Ecuador, El Salvador, and Guatemala, setting up &#8220;more streamlined market access&#8221; for the United States and its four Western Hemisphere partners, the White House announced on Thursday.
The deals include both economic and national security commitments, which the White House promises will give American companies greater access to the Central and South American markets. Under the deals, the Trump administration is expected to lower tariffs on some food products, which could lower the cost of items such as coffee and bananas, according to a senior Trump administration official, Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-remove-tariffs-some-products-ecuador-argentina-guatemala-el-salvador-2025-11-13/">reported</a>. The finalized frameworks for the deals are expected to be completed within the next two weeks.
The White House announced the new trade agreements shortly after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bessent-promises-major-food-import-moves-to-cut-grocery-prices-very-quickly">promised</a> that the administration was seeking to give Americans some relief at the grocery store. Bessent&#8217;s comments were a rare moment of the Trump administration acknowledging that Americans are feeling the sting of Trump&#8217;s tariffs, at least in some circumstances.
&#8220;These deals secure commitments on economic and national security issues to strengthen supply chains and trade partnerships in the region, deepening bilateral trade and investment cooperation to provide American exporters with unprecedented access to markets in Central and South America,&#8221; the White House <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/11/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-announces-historic-trade-deals-with-western-hemisphere-trading-partners/">said</a>. &#8220;The deals will help U.S. farmers, ranchers, fishermen, small businesses, and manufacturers to increase U.S. exports to and expand business opportunities with these trading partners.&#8221;
The deal with Argentina gives U.S. exporters &#8220;preferential market access&#8221; for &#8220;medicines, chemicals, machinery, information technology products, medical devices, motor vehicles, and a wide range of agricultural products.&#8221; Under the agreement, Argentina is expected to exempt beef from its 10% tariff on imports, allowing the U.S. cattle industry to ship beef to the South American country at a more affordable rate, a U.S. official told <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/13/white-house-agrees-to-lower-some-tariffs-on-south-american-countries-00651456?cid=apn">POLITICO</a>. President Donald Trump had also considered allowing Argentina to export more beef to the United States, but the agreement does not appear to allow that, after Trump&#8217;s idea faced backlash from Congress and the U.S. cattle industry.
&#8220;Argentina has opened its market to U.S. live cattle, committed to allow market access for U.S. poultry within one year, and agreed not to restrict market access for products that use certain cheese and meat terms,&#8221; the White House <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2025/11/joint-statement-on-framework-for-a-united-states-argentina-agreement-on-reciprocal-trade-and-investment/">said</a>.
The Trump administration stated that Ecuador would reduce or eliminate tariffs on tree nuts, fresh fruit, pulses, wheat, wine, and distilled spirits. El Salvador agreed to &#8220;break down non-tariff barriers for U.S. agricultural products in its market, including ensuring that U.S. agricultural exporters will not be restricted due to the mere use of certain cheese and meat terms.&#8221; Guatemala, meanwhile, made commitments on digital trade, including ending discrimination against U.S. products distributed digitally.

Trump Makes ‘Breakthrough Trade Deals’ With 4 Countries To Lower Food Costs

Argentina

Economy

El Salvador

Guatemala

Politics

Tariffs

Trump Administration

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ecuador" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ecuador&#8217;s</a> military on Thursday descended on a massive prison after several alarming events, including the escape of a gang boss and the alleged assassination of a prosecutor.
Hundred of Ecuadoran soldiers and police marched into the major prison complex in Guayaquil, video footage released by Ecuador&#8217;s military <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSYNjEZNvIs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shows</a>. Photos <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12982509/Ecuadors-war-gangs-hundreds-soldiers-swarm-prison.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">show</a> prisoners kneeling or lying on the floor of the prison in their underwear with their hands tied. Dozens of military vehicles arrived at the prison as well.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
𝑨𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒔, 𝒅𝒓𝒐𝒈𝒂𝒔 𝒚 𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒐 𝒆𝒏 𝒆𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒐, 𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒐𝒔 𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒐́𝒏 𝒂𝒍 𝑪𝑷𝑳 𝑬𝒍 𝑶𝒓𝒐 𝑵.°𝟏
El <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BloqueDeSeguridad?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BloqueDeSeguridad</a> realizó un registro a las celdas del Centro de Privación de Libertad N.° 1 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ElOro?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ElOro</a> y se encontró:
&#8211; 02 arma… <a href="https://t.co/1YqtOD9pjW">pic.twitter.com/1YqtOD9pjW</a>
&mdash; Ejército Ecuatoriano (@EjercitoECU) <a href="https://twitter.com/EjercitoECU/status/1748375539335811511?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
All Ecuador prison staff held hostage by inmates now free, officials say <a href="https://t.co/UMoV955Idq">https://t.co/UMoV955Idq</a> <a href="https://t.co/Wi1ZyeNRsf">pic.twitter.com/Wi1ZyeNRsf</a>
&mdash; Reuters World (@ReutersWorld) <a href="https://twitter.com/ReutersWorld/status/1746434533308641706?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Last week, gang leader Adolfo Macías Villamar, known as &#8220;Fito,&#8221; escaped from the same prison complex. On January 7, police found his cell empty when they came to move him to a higher security wing within the prison.
Fito is the leader of Los Choneros, one of the most dangerous gangs in Ecuador, which works with cartels in Mexico and is involved in drug trafficking to the U.S.
The news of the crime boss&#8217; escape caused riots in at least six jails that in some cases involved prison guards held hostage. Explosives were also set off in some cities.
The situation prompted a swift government crackdown, which led to retaliation from Ecuador&#8217;s powerful drug cartels.
The day after Fito&#8217;s escape on January 8, Ecuadoran President Daniel Noboa <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-68022873" target="_blank" rel="noopener">declared</a> a state of emergency amid the chaos.
A day later on January 9, a group of armed criminals stormed a local television station, TC Television, while it was broadcasting live.
The attackers fired guns and forced staff to lie on the ground.
One woman <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12982509/Ecuadors-war-gangs-hundreds-soldiers-swarm-prison.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">could</a> be heard saying, &#8220;Don&#8217;t shoot, please don&#8217;t shoot.&#8221;
After about 30 minutes, police came into the television studio and arrested 13 people, including many teenagers.
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1700760801843000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2PQrVSrJfhxNb4LcARqniG">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
Then on Wednesday, the prosecutor who was leading the investigation into the television network attack was assassinated in Guayaquil, according to Ecuador’s Attorney General Diana Salazar.
Since then, police have arrested two men allegedly connected to the prosecutor&#8217;s assassination, according to General Commander of the National Police, Cesar Zapata.
“I am going to be emphatic, the organized criminal groups, criminals, terrorists will not stop our commitment to the Ecuadorian society, we will continue with more strength and commitment,” Salazar <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/17/world/ecuador-prosecutor-cesar-suarez-assassinated-intl/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
The Guayaquil prison, which is near Ecuador&#8217;s biggest port and export hub, has become the locus of the clash between the government and organized crime.
Ecuador has become the globe&#8217;s biggest cocaine distributor, and the drug cartels move huge amounts of that cocaine through the Guayaquil port. Much of the cocaine originally comes from neighboring countries Colombia and Peru.

ECUADOR-ARGENTINA-DRUGS-DEFENCE-SECURITY

Hundreds Of Ecuadoran Soldiers Descend On Prison Amid Gang Crackdown After Crime Boss Escape

Crime

Drugs

Mexico

Prison

Gunmen took over an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ecuador" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ecuadorian</a> television station during a live broadcast on Tuesday as the country descended into further chaos and a state of armed conflict was declared.
The incident comes after Adolfo Macías, a convicted leader of one of the country&#8217;s most powerful gangs, escaped from prison on Monday, sending shockwaves throughout the country.
During their storming of public TC Televisión station, gunshots were heard and alleged explosives were shown by members of the Los Tiguerones and Los Lobos gangs, The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/01/09/ecuadoran-president-declares-armed-conflict-gunmen-storm-tv-studio/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Law enforcement confirmed the arrests of at least 13 alleged gang members involved in the incident.
The incident comes after multiple attacks have happened across the country over the last day, &#8220;including about 30 car explosions and the kidnapping of seven police officers,&#8221; the report said. &#8220;Riots have also broken out at several prisons, with reports that dozens of guards have been held by armed men.&#8221;
Intelligence officials believe the attacks were coordinated and orchestrated by Los Lobos as a potential warning to government leaders against transferring gang leaders to maximum-security prisons.
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1700760801843000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2PQrVSrJfhxNb4LcARqniG">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
🇪🇨 | URGENTE: Delincuentes irrumpieron en TC Televisión y secuestran a todos en vivo y directo en Guayaquil, Ecuador. <a href="https://t.co/ob1yleusOc">pic.twitter.com/ob1yleusOc</a>
&mdash; Alerta Mundial (@AlertaMundoNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlertaMundoNews/status/1744808500989972832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The increased chaos in the country comes as it continues to crack down on government officials who have been arrested for allegedly working to support drug traffickers.
The report said that the violence has increased sharply in recent years because the country has become &#8220;a critical cocaine transit point and gangs compete for control of drug routes and prisons.&#8221;
Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) responded to the images of violence unfolding on the streets of Ecuador by recounting his experience living in the country.
&#8220;Right now Ecuador is experiencing an all-out cartel takeover. They’re executing hostages, taking over prisons, and stormed a news station on live TV,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I used to live in Ecuador. My dad took an oil job there for a year and half while I was in middle school. Nothing like this was happening. Over the past 20 years cartels and drug traffickers have become far too powerful and more dangerous than ever.&#8221;

ECUADOR-STATE OF EMERGENCY-TV-ATTACK

Armed Gang Takes Over Television Station During Live Broadcast

The Biden administration reportedly plans to send <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/fbi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FBI agents</a> to Ecuador to investigate the assassination of right-wing presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, who was shot multiple times on Wednesday after leaving a political rally.
Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso posted on X that he requested aid from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation.
&#8220;The U.S. Federal Investigation and Intelligence Agency accepted our request and in the next few hours a delegation will arrive in the country,&#8221; Lasso <a href="https://twitter.com/LassoGuillermo/status/1689698931326713857" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a>.
In comments reported by <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/09/americas/ecuador-presidential-candidate-fernando-villavicencio-assassinated-intl-hnk/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN</a>, Lasso said, &#8220;Organized crime has come a long way, but the full weight of the law will fall on them,&#8221; and declared a national state of emergency for 60 days, three days of national mourning, and deployed armed forces across the country.
Although FBI officials have not confirmed the report, it&#8217;s common for the bureau to launch investigations in allied nations, Bloomberg <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-08-10/us-sending-fbi-to-ecuador-to-help-probe-candidate-s-killing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
Villavicencio, a journalist who covered government corruption before entering politics, was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/right-wing-presidential-candidate-assassinated-in-ecuador" target="_blank" rel="noopener">killed</a> ten days before the presidential election was scheduled. The 59-year-old candidate reportedly campaigned on building safety in the country by focusing on five pillars: citizens, food, economics, environment, and health.
Villavicencio was married and is survived by five children, the Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/ecuador-villavicencio-presidential-candidate-killed-ee9c726b82c09e16e5dacde2d6f005ff" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
&#8220;The assassination of Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, an outspoken opponent of organized crime, is a brazen attack on democracy and the rule of law,&#8221; Brian Nichols, the assistant U.S. Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere, said in a <a href="https://twitter.com/WHAAsstSecty/status/1689616668341755904" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a> on X. &#8220;We urge a swift and thorough investigation by the appropriate authorities and offer our support.&#8221;
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP</a>
National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby told CNN it was not what &#8220;anybody would want&#8221; for Ecuadorean democracy.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned the assassination of the Ecuadorian presidential candidate and offered condolences to his family and the people of Ecuador in a statement on X.
&#8220;We stand ready to support local authorities to bring the perpetrators of this heinous act to justice,&#8221; he said.
According to CNN, at least nine other people were injured in the incident, including a candidate for the National Assembly and two police officers.
Ecuador&#8217;s Attorney General&#8217;s Office said authorities arrested the seven suspects, including the alleged killer, who later died from wounds received while he exchanged gunfire with a security detail.
The suspects allegedly include foreign nationals and members of organized criminal groups, according to Interior Minister Juan Zapata, who said authorities found a rifle, a machine gun, four pistols, three grenades, two rifle magazines, four boxes of ammunition, two motorcycles, and a stolen vehicle.
&#8220;The Ecuadorian people are crying, and Ecuador is mortally wounded,&#8221; Patricio Zuquilanda, Villavicencio&#8217;s campaign adviser, told the Associated Press. &#8220;Politics cannot lead to the death of any member of society.&#8221;
Villavicencio was known for speaking up against cartels, who have recently started using the country&#8217;s coastal ports and have revamped violence in the South American nation not seen in decades. According to the Associated Press, Mexico&#8217;s Sinaloa cartel affiliates had recently threatened him after the group began operating in Ecuador.
In 2014, he was sentenced to 18 months in prison for allegedly slandering former left-wing President Rafael Correa, according to a report from Bloomberg&#8217;s Latin America news division. He remained a fugitive for three years and was granted political asylum in Peru, where he stayed until 2017.
After returning to the country, Villavicencio went to Ecuador&#8217;s attorney general and accused the government of misusing public resources in the &#8220;commercialization of crude oil between Ecuador and private company PetroChina,&#8221; which he estimated resulted in billions of dollars in loss for the country.
During his final speech moments before being assassinated, Villavicencio vowed to imprison more criminals, take on corruption in Ecuador, and directly named José Adolfo Macía — better known by the alias &#8220;Fito&#8221; — the detained leader of the Ecuadorian gang known as Los Choneros.
&#8220;Here I am showing my face,&#8221; Villavicencio said. &#8220;I&#8217;m not scared of them.&#8221;

ECUADOR-ELECTION-CANDIDATE-VILLAVICENCIO

FBI To Help Ecuador Investigate Right-Wing Presidential Candidate’s Assassination: Report

assassination

Department of Justice

Right-wing Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was assassinated by &#8220;organized crime,&#8221; according to a statement from the country&#8217;s president.
President Guillermo Lasso said he was &#8220;outraged and shocked by the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio,&#8221; according to a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/09/world/americas/ecuador-presidential-candidate-killed.html">translation</a> of his statement by The New York Times.
Lasso said that those behind the assassination would &#8220;not go unpunished.&#8221;
Villavicencio, a former journalist, had been highly vocal about the ties between organized crime and government officials in the South American nation, the report said.
The report added that while an &#8220;oil boom&#8221; lifted the country out of poverty earlier this century, Ecuadorians have been weighed down by a recent infestation of foreign drug trafficking organizations that have descended upon the country and sent homicide rates to all-time highs.
The man suspected of killing Villavicencio died while in police custody, the attorney general’s office said on X.
&#8220;A suspect, who was injured during the shootout with security personnel, was apprehended and moved, badly injured, to the (attorney general’s) unit in Quito,&#8221; the statement said. &#8220;An ambulance from the fire department confirmed his death, the police are proceeding with collection of the cadaver.&#8221;
Villavicencio was an opponent of former leftist President Rafael Correa and was sentenced to 18 months in prison back in 2014 for allegedly slandering Correa, according to a <a href="https://www.bloomberglinea.com/english/what-are-fernando-villavicencios-proposals-as-presidential-candidate-in-ecuador/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-reader-unique-id="32">report</a> from Bloomberg’s Latin America news division. He remained a fugitive for three years and was granted political asylum in Peru, where he stayed until 2017.
<a class="c-link c-link--focus-visible" href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://onelink.to/dwapp" data-sk="tooltip_parent" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-11158">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP</a>
After returning to the country, he went to Ecuador’s attorney general and accused the government of misusing public resources in the “commercialization of crude oil between Ecuador and private company Petrochina,” which he estimated resulted in billions of dollars in loss for the country.
The report said his campaign’s theme was building safety in the country by focusing on five pillars: citizen, food, economic, environmental, and health.
“In the 2021 elections, he was elected a national congress member for the so-called Honesty Alliance, and in September 2022 he was the victim of an attack at his residence,” the report added. “As an investigative journalist, he has also contributed with information to denounce cases of corruption in oil, mining, electricity, telecommunications and criminal structures.”

ECUADOR-ELECTION-CANDIDATE-VILLAVICENCIO-MURDER

Right-Wing Presidential Candidate Assassinated By ‘Organized Crime’ After Vowing To Take On Crime

Elections

Right-wing <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ecuador" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ecuadorian</a> presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was assassinated on Wednesday after being shot multiple times after leaving a political rally.
Villavicencio&#8217;s family confirmed his death, according to <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-08-10/ecuador-presidential-candidate-villavicencio-shot-dead-expreso#xj4y7vzkg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bloomberg News</a>. He was killed at a political event located at a school in Ecuador&#8217;s capital city of Quito.
WARNING &#8212; the following video contains content some may find disturbing:
https://twitter.com/RAMIROLOJANOL/status/1689432260380872704
https://twitter.com/christianzr/status/1689419024055042048
Villavicencio, a journalist, was an opponent of former leftist President Rafael Correa and was sentenced to 18 months in prison back in 2014 for allegedly slandering Correa, according to a <a href="https://www.bloomberglinea.com/english/what-are-fernando-villavicencios-proposals-as-presidential-candidate-in-ecuador/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from Bloomberg&#8217;s Latin America news division. He remained a fugitive for three years and was granted political asylum in Peru where he stayed until 2017.
After returning the country, he went to Ecuador&#8217;s attorney general and accused the government of misusing public resources in the &#8220;commercialization of crude oil between Ecuador and private company Petrochina,&#8221; which he estimated resulted in billions of dollars in loss for the country.
The report said that his campaign&#8217;s theme was building safety in the country by focusing on five pillars: citizen, food, economic, environmental, and health.
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP</a>
&#8220;In the 2021 elections, he was elected a national congress member for the so-called Honesty Alliance, and in September 2022 he was the victim of an attack at his residence,&#8221; the report added. &#8220;As an investigative journalist, he has also contributed with information to denounce cases of corruption in oil, mining, electricity, telecommunications and criminal structures.&#8221;

Right-Wing Presidential Candidate Assassinated In Ecuador

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/state-department">U.S. State Department</a> officials defended themselves Sunday after awarding Ecuador a grant of over $20,000 for a cultural center to host drag shows for LGBTQ communities in the South American country. 
Earlier this week, Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/state-dept-defends-20k-grant-drag-shows-ecuador">reported</a> the State Department began promoting &#8220;diversity and inclusion efforts&#8221; using taxpayer dollars to fund &#8220;drag shows in South America. Such efforts included a $20,600 grant to the non-profit Centro Ecuatoriano Norteamericano (CEN). The center would use the money on three workshops, a two-minute documentary, and 12 drag theater performances until Aug. 31, 2023.
Doubling down on their stance, a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement that the grant funds programs in Ecuador to incorporate and conceptualize &#8220;diversity, inclusion, and representation to equity and accessibility.&#8221; Of the number of programs sponsored by American tax dollars, one aims to use the arts to raise awareness about diversity and inclusivity, which gives LGBTQ people an outlet &#8220;to express themselves freely and safely.&#8221;
&#8220;In September 2022, the U.S. Department of State awarded a grant to the Centro Cultural Ecuatoriano Norteamericano Abraham Lincoln, a U.S.-Ecuadorian cultural center in Cuenca, Ecuador, for a program that uses the arts to raise awareness about diversity and inclusion,&#8221; the spokesperson said. &#8220;The program&#8217;s goal is to promote tolerance, and the arts provide new opportunities for LGBTQI+ Ecuadorians to express themselves freely and safely.&#8221;
The spokesperson said that facilitators and artists in Cuenca would collaborate with a local theater company to create workshops and plays, which would be video documented.
&#8220;LGBTQI+ people across the globe deserve to live in societies free from targeted violence and discrimination,&#8221; the spokesperson said. &#8220;Recent data suggest an alarming and deadly rise in violence against LGBTQI+ persons in Ecuador.&#8221;
A 2021 human rights in Ecuador <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/313615_ECUADOR-2021-HUMAN-RIGHTS-REPORT.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> published by the State Department said, &#8220;Members of society engaged in crimes involving violence or threats of violence targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or intersex persons.&#8221;
State Dept. officials said some examples of violence and threats against community members included social stigma on HIV and AIDS, hate crimes, and students susceptible to school bullying.
The spokesperson said the program would advance &#8220;key U.S. values of diversity and the inclusion of LGBTQI+ communities&#8221; and promote the &#8220;acceptance of communities that are disproportionately affected by violence.&#8221;
Fox News reports the State Department has granted CEN hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years, but the new grant appears to be the first time funding has been explicitly given for drag shows. 
 Former television producer Lara Trump told Fox New&#8217;s Emily Compagno during her show &#8220;Outnumbered&#8221; that sending taxpayer money to a foreign country for such causes is an example of why Americans feel upset when they see their money &#8220;squandered and used for things that we don&#8217;t understand.&#8221;
&#8220;We are sending American taxpayer dollars to another country to support drag performances,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;This is our money. Why aren&#8217;t we spending it here?&#8221;

US-POLITICS-DIPLOMACY-PRICE-BRIEFING

State Dept. Doubles Down On Spending $20K Of Taxpayer Money To Fund Drag Shows In Ecuador

Biden Administration

Drag Queen story hour

Drag Queens

State Department

A Canadian mineral company has declared that it has discovered a “lost city of gold” in South America.
The lost city of Logroño de los Caballeros is thought by some to be the site of an ancient gold camp.
“Metron is pleased to have helped find the historic gold city of Logroño de los Caballeros,” Dr. Lawrence Stone, chief scientist of Metron Incorporated, which worked with the mineral company Aurania, stated. “The success of this effort is another example of the power of Bayesian search theory, which has been used to find sunken ships and aircraft as well as vessels and people missing at sea.”
The companies propound that the city of Logroño de los Caballeros was found in Ecuador.
“Aurania is now on the hunt to find Logroño’s source of gold within its Lost Cities,” the Aurania <a href="http://www.aurania.com/aurania-and-metron-find-lost-city-of-gold-in-ecuador/">website</a> explains, adding, “Logroño de los Caballeros was one of seven historic mining areas operating during the time of the Spanish conquistadors in the land that became Ecuador. Its geographic location and that of a second site, Sevilla del Oro, have been lost over time.”
Metron works with “applied mathematics, statistical inference, operations research, physical modeling, signal processing, autonomy, and software development,” its <a href="https://www.metsci.com/who-we-are/">website</a> states. The company used “probability maps for the Lost Cities and likelihood ratio surfaces showing potential locations for deposits of copper, silver, and gold” in its collaboration.
Some of the ancient used information by Metron to pinpoint the valley of the Rio Santiago as Logroño included Juan Lopez de Avendaño’s 1588 report that Logroño was half a league from the Rio Zamora and a 1684 report found in the Vatican from a Jesuit priest who alleged an elderly woman said she recalled hearing the church bells of Logroño from her village when she was a child.
“More than four hundred years have passed since Spanish activity at Logroño ceased, and even though many of the records have been lost, what survives is a compelling narrative of gold mining in what would have been one of the most remote and isolated areas on Earth,” Dr. Keith Barron, President and CEO of Aurania, noted.
Barron met Dr. Octavio Latorre Tapia, a professor lecturing at the Universidad Internacional in Quito in the late 1990’s.  The Ecuadorian government had hired Tapia to perform archival research to find find lost gold settlements and mines. “Octavio disclosed to Dr. Barron that his research had uncovered two lost gold settlements (described optimistically by the Spanish as ‘Cities’) that had still not been relocated: Logroño de los Caballeros, and Sevilla del Oro,” Aurania writes.

Gold

‘Lost City Of Gold’ Discovered, Mineral Company Claims

discovered

Menu