The team is formed by President Joe Biden’s advisor, Christopher Dodd; the head of the Southern Command, Laura Richardson; the deputy assistant secretary of the Office of Counternarcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Christopher Landberg, among others.
The delegation “seeks to accelerate cooperation in security matters and analyze collaborative approaches to address the threats of transnational criminal organizations” and will remain in Ecuadorian territory until January 25th, said the US embassy in Quito.
The delegations’ agenda includes meetings with the president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa; the ministers of Defense, Government, Foreign Affairs and Economy and Finance; senior military and police officers; as well as representatives of the civil society.
Several analysts have warned that the security crisis that Ecuador is going through and the declaration of internal armed conflict may constitute an opportunity for the United States to deepen its military presence.
President Noboa recently mentioned that he accepts collaboration from the United States with the possibility of working with intelligence organizations such as the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and anti-narcotics units in training, equipment, weapons and intelligence management.
For the professor of the Central University of Ecuador, Luis Córdova, the visit of the US officials has the objective of implementing the “Plan Ecuador” disguised under the Plan Fénix, as Noboa called his security strategy.
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