US Designates Ecuadorian Gangs Los Lobos and Los Choneros as Foreign Terrorist Organizations

US Support for Ecuador's Security Efforts

• 🇺🇸 The United States has designated two Ecuadorian gangs, Los Lobos and Los Choneros, as foreign terrorist organizations.
• 🤝 This designation allows the US to work more closely with Ecuador to combat these groups, bringing new options for future cooperation.
• 💰 The US is providing $13.5 million to help Ecuador improve its security capabilities and combat drugs and crime.
• 🚁 An additional $6 million in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) will be provided to the Ecuadorian Navy for enhanced domain awareness.

Combating Narco-Terrorism

• 🎯 The gangs are described not just as drug traffickers but as narco-terrorists who terrorize the countries they operate in.
• ⚔️ The current Ecuadorian government is confronting these organizations with unprecedented force, described as a "war on killers" and "war on terrorists."
• ⚖️ The US is working to modernize the extradition treaty with Ecuador, following a successful extradition of a gang leader.

Economic and Bilateral Relations

• 📈 The US aims to amplify and grow the economic relationship with Ecuador beyond security cooperation.
• 🤝 Both countries are close to reaching an agreement on a trade deal that is expected to be highly beneficial to both economies due to their compatible exports and imports.
• ✅ The US expresses strong support for President Naboa's administration, noting their significant efforts against narco-terrorists in the past couple of years.
• 🤝 The US is committed to being 100% supportive of partners willing to stand up against these threats at great personal and societal risk.