US PLEDGES $45M SECURITY FUNDING TO ECUADOR

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced $45m in security funding for Ecuador during a visit to Quito on Wednesday, as the Trump administration deepens cooperation with the country's government against drug trafficking and criminal networks. Rubio also pledged a $10m initiative to tackle illegal gold mining, gang recruitment and illicit finance. The US will deliver a 110-foot Coast Guard cutter and five interceptor vessels to Ecuador's navy, in addition to seven vessels already delivered earlier this year.

During meetings with Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, Rubio designated Los Tiguerones, an Ecuador-based gang, as a foreign terrorist organisation. The State Department linked the group to narcotrafficking and other illicit activity, including a takeover of an Ecuadorian television station in 2024. Rubio said the US would also impose sanctions on seven former Ecuadorian officials involved in bribery. The security package follows similar designations against two other Ecuador-based gangs made last year.

Rubio's visit forms part of a three-day tour through South America that includes Colombia and Peru, all countries with leaders aligned with the Trump administration's approach to regional influence. The US has sought to increase military engagement across the Western Hemisphere in pursuit of what Rubio characterised as efforts to dismantle criminal organisations with terrorist capabilities. The administration said the security commitments would require Congressional approval for the $45m in funding.