The President of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, has signed a decree this Thursday by which he proclaims an "internal armed conflict" in the country with the objective of "neutralizing" any structure that poses "a threat" to the Executive. The text also urges the National Assembly to grant amnesty to those who act "in defense of the State" and grants "immunity" to foreign military personnel whose deployment has been authorized in the same regulation.
"The existence of an internal armed conflict is recognized in the national territory, configured by complex factual circumstances that gravely threaten national sovereignty, the integral security of the State, public order, social peace, citizen security, and the protection of the population," states the first article of Executive Decree 424, signed by Noboa himself.
Within this framework, the Ecuadorian government intends to "neutralize all structures that constitute a threat" in these areas and, to this end, "will receive international cooperation to strengthen the actions" that are developed. These actions will involve the participation of foreign personnel, who will operate in coordination with the Armed Forces and the Police of Ecuador.
The decree also establishes in its general provisions that "the President of the Republic will grant pardons, reduce or commute sentences in favor of military personnel, police, and civilians who participate" in these operations. At the same time, it "urges the National Assembly to grant amnesties in favor of military personnel, police, and civilians who have acted in defense of the State."
In the same vein, "foreign personnel from cooperating States who participate in actions carried out within the framework of the internal armed conflict will enjoy immunity," according to the decree, which conditions this point on "applicable international instruments and agreements signed by the Republic of Ecuador for this purpose."
Shortly after the decree was released, the Presidency made public a video in which Daniel Noboa, flanked by security personnel, places the measure within "the fight against narcoterrorism in Ecuador."
In that intervention, the president confirms that, from this decision, "military personnel from allied countries will be able to be deployed in the provinces most affected by violence", a provision that he attributes to "months of work" and that, as he explains, is based "especially" on "the last meeting at the Pentagon", headquarters of the United States Department of Defense.
The Noboa Executive has notably strengthened security cooperation with Washington, even going so far as to propose the use of bases before the Ecuadorian electorate rejected in a referendum held in November the possibility of again allowing foreign military installations in the country.
In any case, the president has stressed that "from today, narcoterrorists will face a stronger, more prepared Ecuador that no longer fights alone."