Name: Ecuador votes on return of foreign bases amid sovereignty concerns
Uploaded: 2025-11-15T19:09:02.714Z
Duration: 2 min 48 s
Description: Ecuadoreans will head to the polls on Sunday to decide whether to allow the return of foreign military bases to their country. President Daniel Noboa says those bases are central to fighting organized crime.

Ecuadoreans will head to the polls on Sunday to decide whether to allow the return of foreign military bases to their country. President Daniel Noboa says those bases are central to fighting organized crime.

Manta

Ecuador is considering the return of a U.S. military base in Manta, which was closed in 2009 by former President Rafael Correa. President Daniel Noboa has proposed reopening the base to help combat escalating violent crime and drug trafficking, but the plan has divided public opinion.

Supporters argue that foreign cooperation is necessary to address transnational criminal networks, while critics cite concerns over national sovereignty and past allegations of abuses by U.S. personnel. Studies referenced in the debate indicate that drug shipments increased during the previous U.S. military presence, and voters will ultimately decide whether to allow U.S. forces to return.

Ecuador votes on return of foreign bases amid sovereignty concerns

For 10 years the U.S. operated a military base here in Manta, until former President Rafael Correa shut it down in 2009. Now faced with soaring violent crime, current President Daniel Noboa wants it back. At the city's busy fish market, opinions are split. As long as it benefits the country, I agree with it. I don't agree with everything the President does, but this is one of the things I support. Let the bases return and let's see what can be done about all this insecurity. Some reject the idea outright, recalling alleged abuses and disappearances blamed on U.S. personnel stationed here who were given blanket immunity. It suits the government, not us, because the base will protect those who fill their pockets, the big businessmen. For us, who walk around here without shoes, it brings nothing. The U.S. base flew missions to track drug routes, but the U.S. was accused of sinking several fishing boats before it closed. In the last decade, Ecuador has spiralled into violence as criminal groups turned ports like Manta into major exit points for cocaine. The local business sector says the country can't confront this alone. We support cooperation with friendly countries. We need help with technology, intelligence and resources. It's important to fight this transnational threat. Alone, we cannot do it. Ecuador lies between Colombia and Peru, the world's largest producers of cocaine, and with deep water ports like this one, it moves that cocaine to Europe, the U.S. and Asia. The government insists that the return of U.S. troops could help with that, but critics believe it would mostly undermine the country's sovereignty. The evidence is clear. Studies show that drug shipments from Ecuador tripled during the nine years the U.S. military base operated in Manta. Crime was not stopped. It kept growing. There are U.S. military installations in Colombia and Peru, and in neither place has coca or cocaine production decreased. The failure of this model in combating drug trafficking is evident. Novoa argues Ecuador needs foreign cooperation to dismantle the criminal networks driving the violence, a message underscored by U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's visit last week to survey the former bases. But voters will have the last word on whether to allow U.S. forces to return or decide their sovereignty comes first. Alessandro Ampietti, Al Jazeera, Manta.

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