Noboa of Ecuador promises to send terrorists in the State of the Union speech | Crime Stories

The right-wing president highlighted efforts to fight crime and economic progress, while critics warned of brutality.

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa has used his State of the Union speech to highlight his US-backed anti-crime measures and economic reforms.

Speaking at the National Assembly in the capital Quito on Sunday, Noboa cited the extradition of a dozen US bosses and the seizure of nearly 300 tons of drugs as examples of what he described as his proven and effective strategy.

“We will look for them, find them and send them out,” Noboa said of the wanted criminals. He added that South America cannot develop “if families live in fear”.

Organized crime is a major concern among Ecuadorians this decade, after the number of murders during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since 2021, Ecuador has been battling drug violence as rival cartels collaborate with local gangs to control the waterways and coastal ports used to smuggle cocaine. The country is located between Colombia and Peru, which are the countries that produce the most cocaine.

Last year, Ecuador recorded its highest homicide rate in decades, with about 50 murders per 100,000 people, according to the Interior Ministry.

In response, Noboa, who was re-elected last year for a four-year term, has used a different culture to allow the military to use different methods to fight crime, including joint visits with the police and searches of property without a warrant.

Earlier this year, the Ecuadorian military also worked with the US military against a training camp allegedly used by Colombian drug traffickers, attacking the site with drones, helicopters and boats.

Noboa’s approach, however, has been criticized by civil society groups, who say its measures to use steel have failed to reduce crime while putting people at risk.

Glaedys Gonzalez, researcher on the Andes region at the International Crisis Group, said on Sunday that Noboa could be optimistic in his speech about national security.

“Progress on violence is inevitable,” Gonzalez said. “It is clear that the situation in Ecuador has reached an unprecedented level.”

Sunday’s speech also encouraged economic progress in Ecuador, where Noboa told lawmakers that poverty would drop from 26 to 21.4 percent in 2025. Extreme poverty, he added, would drop from 10.4 to 8.4 percent.

Noboa was elected for the first time in 2023 in elections that took place when President Guillermo Lasso dissolved Parliament and shortened his term.