Overview
- Colombian President Gustavo Petro said a modern radar will be installed in Ipiales to track illegal aircraft and argued cocaine exports are increasingly routed from Ecuador, urging tighter controls at Ecuadorian ports and airports.
- Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa announced a new phase of security with joint operations in March alongside regional allies, including the United States, following meetings in Quito with U.S. Southern Command leaders.
- Noboa also announced a nighttime curfew in four high-violence provinces—Guayas, Los Ríos, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas and El Oro—during the second half of March, with reported dates varying across outlets.
- Bogotá has mobilized more than 20,000 personnel in Nariño and Putumayo under its border push dubbed Operación Binacional Espejo, reporting the destruction of at least 46 drug-processing labs and deploying air, maritime and riverine assets.
- Ecuador’s Army publicly denied any joint operation with Colombia under the ‘Espejo’ label, as a trade standoff continued with Quito’s 50% “security tax” on Colombian imports and reciprocal Colombian tariffs still in force.