During his annual State of the Union speech on Sunday, Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa highlighted his administration’s crime-fighting initiatives backed by the United States while also pointing to improvements in economic measures.
Speaking before the National Assembly in Quito, the capital city, Noboa pointed to the transfer of twelve crime leaders to the U.S. and the confiscation of nearly 300 tons of illegal drugs as proof of what he called a strong and successful strategy against organized crime, which remains the primary worry for citizens of Ecuador during this decade.
“We will seek them out, find them and extradite them,” Noboa declared regarding wanted criminals, emphasizing that the South American nation cannot progress “if families live in fear” because of organized crime.
The country has faced challenges controlling drug-related violence beginning in 2021 as competing cartels form alliances with neighborhood gangs and fight over control of trafficking routes and coastal ports for moving cocaine. Ecuador sits between Colombia and Peru, which are the world’s leading cocaine-producing nations.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, Ecuador experienced its worst homicide rate in decades last year with 50 killings for every 100,000 people.
To address this crisis, Noboa, who won reelection last year for a four-year period, has implemented emergency powers allowing military forces to execute various anti-crime tactics, including combined patrols with law enforcement and searches of properties without warrants. Earlier this year, Ecuador’s armed forces also conducted a joint mission with U.S. military against a training facility reportedly operated by Colombian drug dealers, striking the location using drones, helicopters and boats.
Civil society organizations have criticized Noboa, arguing his aggressive tactics have not succeeded in lowering crime rates while endangering innocent people.
Glaedys González, who analyzes the Andean region for the International Crisis Group, stated Sunday that Noboa may have presented an overly positive view of the nation’s security situation in his address, but “progress on violence is far from being achieved.”
“It is evident that the situation in Ecuador has reached unprecedented levels,” González said.
During Sunday’s address, Noboa also highlighted economic improvements, informing legislators that poverty decreased from 26% to 21.4% in 2025 while severe poverty fell from 10.4% to 8.4%.
Noboa initially won office in 2023 through a special election that occurred after former President Guillermo Lasso disbanded the National Assembly and cut short his own presidency.
