Human Rights Watch Alleges US-Ecuador Operations Caused Civilian Abuses

An investigative report released by Human Rights Watch on July 21, 2026, alleges that joint security operations between the United States and Ecuador resulted in serious human rights violations from January to March 2026. The report documents the arbitrary detention and torture of four dairy farm workers in the San Martin region on the Colombia-Ecuador border, where Ecuadorian forces also destroyed a dairy farm. While Ecuadorian authorities and General Francis L. Donovan of US Southern Command claimed the targets were linked to the Comandos de la Frontera armed group, Human Rights Watch found no evidence of criminal ties to the properties.

In the Eastern Pacific near the Galapagos Islands, the report identifies drone attacks on the fishing vessels La Negra Francisca Duarte II and Don Maca, as well as the disappearance of the vessel Fiorella and its eight crew members on January 20. Survivors reported being detained by US nationals in military uniforms before being transferred to the Salvadoran Coast Guard. These incidents are part of a broader US campaign against suspected drug-transporting boats in Latin America that rights groups claim has caused at least 215 extrajudicial civilian deaths.

The United States Department of Defense and US Coast Guard deny responsibility for the maritime attacks, though the administration of Donald Trump acknowledged its forces were present in the region. Human Rights Watch has called on the US Congress to increase oversight of the security partnership, describing the cooperation as opaque and dangerous.