Why is the U.S. targeting Ecuadorian fishing vessels and fishermen and offering no evidence of illegality?

By Teresa Bo

Jose Hernan Flores is still trying to recover from what he describes as a hostile encounter with United States military forces at sea. Flores is a fisherman from the town of San Mateo, on Ecuador’s Pacific coast.

In March, he was out on the water with his crew of 16, piloting his vessel, La Negra Francisca Duarte II, to chase schools of fish.

Suddenly, a group of military-style drones appeared in the sky. They swooped towards La Negra Francisca Duarte II. “We saw them exploding on the ship, and we did not understand what was going on. Two of our sailors were injured,” Flores told Al Jazeera.

As La Negra Francisca Duarte II caught fire, Flores and his crew abandoned ship, escaping onto smaller boats used to recovering fishing nets. “We jumped on the smaller boats to try to get assistance,” Flores explained.

But as they approached what appeared to be a nearby tuna vessel, Flores realized its occupants were not fishermen at all. They were soldiers. “They had beards and had U.S. military uniforms. They handcuffed and blindfolded us,” Flores said.

The soldiers helped treat those injured in Flores’ crew and then handed them over to a navy unit from El Salvador. The fishermen were at sea for at least another week until they were brought ashore. Later, they were deported back to Ecuador.

Flores says his boat, valued at around $400,000, was completely destroyed. He is still paying off the loan he took out to buy it. His story is one of dozens from Ecuadorian fishermen who claim they too were attacked by the U.S. at sea.

A military-led approach
While the U.S. military at first denied responsibility for the sinking of Flores’s boat, the attack on Flores’ ship reflects an increasingly aggressive approach to what it considers to be maritime drug-trafficking. Three months after denying the attack, the U.S. Southern Command changed its official stance to “no comment.”

Since the start of U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term, the Pentagon has carried out dozens of strikes on small vessels in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, many of them lethal. The Trump administration has argued that such attacks are necessary to combat “narco-terrorism”. But fishermen say they are coming under fire for no discernable reason.

Positioned between the two largest coca-growing regions in the world — Colombia and Peru — Ecuador has become one of the most important transit points for cocaine leaving South America. With the support of President Daniel Noboa, the country has emerged as a crucial ally in Trump’s campaign against drug-trafficking organisations.

This week, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio toured Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, in part to generate support for the US fight against criminal groups in the region.

In Quito, Rubio said the Trump administration would seek $45 million in additional security funding for Ecuador and deliver more military equipment to Noboa’s right-wing government. He also confirmed that “elite forces” from the U.S. were working with Ecuador to dismantle what he called “terrorist organisations”. “I think it’s important to point out, for a second, that the groups we are taking on, these are terrorist organisations. These are not just criminal organisations,” Rubio said.

Rubio added that the U.S. would continue to attack Ecuadorian fishing vessels it claims are involved in drug trafficking

Missing fishermen
Many in Ecuador are concerned about their country’s cooperation with the U.S. military is affecting communities in the region. Earlier this month, in the fishing village of Santa Marianita, dozens of people gathered on the coast to demand justice for the fishermen who have been attacked.

Lourdes Mero’s husband and son have been missing for months. The Fiorella, the fishing vessel they were travelling on, disappeared near the Galapagos Islands in January. Eight of the boat’s 10 crew have been missing ever since. The two survivors had been piloting skiffs to lay bait when they said they lost contact with the Fiorella. They reportedly saw smoke rising on the horizon.

The missing men’s families still do not know whether their loved ones are dead or alive.

“My husband has heart disease, and I don’t know what to do. Please return my family to me,” Mero said during an interview with Al Jazeera. “We need the eight crew members back. We don’t know where they are. We are asking the government, but nobody tells us anything.”

According to The Washington Post and the New York Times, the operation that led to the sinking of the Florella was part of a covert U.S. program led by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), targeting vessels suspected of drug trafficking.

A call for evidence
Fishing communities on the Pacific coast say they are how caught between two threats: U.S. operations at sea and criminal organizations that use the ports for drug trafficking. Cesar Delgado, from the Manta Crew Members Association, a professional group based in Manta, says fisherman face violence from both criminal gangs and U.S. forces. “Because of threats from both sides, eighty percent of our boats are not at sea but remain in port. Our fishermen are running out of work. People are losing their ships,” Delgado said.

He called on the U.S. government to provide evidence for its allegations that it targeting drug-trafficking vessels, not fishermen. “If they have proof that there are drugs, they should show it — not sink the boat, which is what they are doing,” Delgado added.

Last week, an Ecuadorian court also demanded evidence from the U.S. and Ecuadorian governments that the targeted boats are involved in drug trafficking.

The U.S. has acknowledged intercepting some boats. As recently as Tuesday of last week, U.S. Southern Command, which oversees military operations in Latin America, announced it had intercepted a “floating refueling station” it claims was linked to Los Choneros, an Ecuadorian gang. After removing the individuals on board, the U.S. military said it proceeded to sink the boat.

In such cases, the US has indicated it transfers suspects back to Ecuadorian authorities. But those detentions may have followed legal standards.

On Saturday, an Ecuador judge ordered the release of detained fishermen, ruling there was not enough evidence to keep them in custody. A government prosecutor admitted he had been provided no information and that there were no grounds to hold crew members of boats that had been destroyed.

Critics of the boat attacks say the harm goes beyond Ecuador’s fishing communities. As the U.S. expands its security footprint, concerns are likewise growing about the future of Latin American sovereignty under Trump — and Washington’s adherence to the rule of law.
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Credit: Al Jazeera