Overview
- The Human Rights Watch report, released Tuesday, July 21, 2026, concludes US authorities most likely had some level of involvement in or knowledge of rights abuses in partnered operations with Ecuador.
- Between March 1 and 6, 2026, Ecuadorian forces in a partnered operation burned three properties, struck two with air-dropped munitions, and arbitrarily detained and tortured four dairy farm workers, according to survivor testimony documented by HRW.
- Between January and March 2026, two Ecuadorian fishing vessels were attacked by armed drones and a third, the Fiorella, disappeared with eight crew missing; survivors said armed US nationals in military-style uniforms detained some fishermen and transferred them to the Salvadoran Coast Guard.
- HRW based its findings on 62 interviews plus photographs, satellite imagery, vessel-monitoring data, medical and judicial records, and reported it found no credible evidence the destroyed properties were linked to criminal armed groups.
- The US Department of Defense and US Coast Guard deny responsibility, and HRW is calling on the US Congress to press the administration for transparency and safeguards while key questions—most notably the fate of the Fiorella crew—remain unanswered.