A series of US military operations against Ecuadorian fishing boats has intensified concerns over the use of force in Washington’s expanding campaign against drug trafficking in the eastern Pacific.
In one September operation, US forces intercepted the fishing vessel Don Rufo in international waters before destroying it. Its captain, Mero Calderón, said the crew were handcuffed and blindfolded after US personnel boarded the boat, while another 10 fishermen had to be rescued by the Ecuadorian navy after being left at sea.
US Southern Command said intelligence showed the vessel was being used by a criminal gang as a floating refuelling station for boats allegedly involved in drug trafficking. The fishermen deny the allegation.
The Don Rufo operation was one of eight involving Ecuadorian boats over a little more than two weeks. Unlike earlier US strikes in the Caribbean and Pacific, crews were removed before the vessels were sunk.
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa has backed the operations as joint efforts against organised crime, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has defended the continued use of force when necessary.
Human rights organisations have questioned the legality of the operations, with a UN special rapporteur saying there are reasonable grounds to believe some of the strikes could constitute crimes against humanity.
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