Black Alliance for Peace slams US ‘war on drugs’ after disappearance of Ecuador boys

The Black Alliance for Peace (BAP) has condemned in the strongest terms the recent disappearance of four Black children in Ecuador as a byproduct of the US-led “war on drugs” scheme in Latin America.

The boys are between 11 and 15 years of age, and the episode is posing a serious challenge to President Daniel Noboa’s “war on drugs.”

BAP, a people-centered human rights project against war, said on Tuesday that President Noboa had effectively sold out Ecuador’s sovereignty to Washington.

“The Ecuadorian government has been all too willing to fight its war on drugs in Afro-Ecuadorian territories and communities, imposing horrific state repression and violence, as it surrenders its sovereignty to US military (and geopolitical) interests.”

“This has meant the militarization of society and strengthening the repressive apparatus of the state in a way that aligns with US foreign policy objectives.”

“With the recent concession of the Galapagos Island to the US military by the Noboa government, Ecuadorian sovereignty is being sold along with Afro-Ecuadorian human rights.”

BAP stated that it is “concerned and outraged” by the fact that the Afro-Ecuadorian children “can go missing for almost two weeks after coming into contact with members of the armed forces without any concerns or official statements provided by government officials.” 

Ecuador ‘in state of war’ after reign of terror by drug cartels

Ecuador deployed more than 22,400 soldiers to neutralize a campaign of terror waged by gangs that has claimed 16 lives, after its armed forces engaged in a savage deadlock with organized crime.

The “Guayaquil Four” – as the children are nicknamed – are from the Las Malvinas neighborhood, a largely Black and impoverished community, in Ecuador’s largest city Guayaquil.

They were returning from a football game on December 8, when 16 Air Force soldiers approached them. The “Guayaquil Four” were allegedly freed some distance away and have not been seen since.

Desperate over the disappearance of their children, the families approached the armed forces the next morning, but the case began to move forward only after it caused a national uproar later on.

On Christmas Eve, four incinerated bodies were found in the same region, and experts are trying to determine if they are the remains of the “Guayaquil Four.”

Their disappearance has generated protests nationwide.

Ecuador has experienced an explosion in the crime rate in the recent past. The country is a route for cocaine trafficking to Europe, primarily through the port of Guayaquil.

Since Noboa declared a state of “internal armed conflict” in January, the armed forces have been at the forefront of the president’s “security” project, with soldiers patrolling the streets, conducting anti-drug operations and controlling prisons.

The measures initially enjoyed popularity but a change of direction might be under way.

US anti-drug policies caused ‘genocide’ in Latin America: Colombia president

Colombian President Gustavo Petro says the United States’ anti-drug policies have caused a “genocide” in Latin America.

Experts say the United States’ so-called anti-drug policy in Latin America is not working.

In May, it was Colombian President Gustavo Petro who said the American anti-drug attitude had caused “genocide” in the region.

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