Members of Ecuador’s Police and Army guard a street this Wednesday during the visit of the U.S. special envoy for the Americas Shield, Kristi Noem, to the Government Palace in Quito. Photo: EFE.
The United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances urged Ecuador to abandon its militarized approach to public security, warning that the government’s heavy reliance on states of emergency and military operations is fueling human rights violations, including enforced disappearances.
In a report released this week, the committee expressed “profound concern” over the security strategy implemented by President Daniel Noboa’s administration amid a deepening crisis of organized crime.
While the government has framed the measures as a necessary response to violence, the UN body cautioned that the widespread use of emergency powers risks enabling abuses by security forces. States of exception, the committee said, must remain strictly temporary, proportional, and subject to judicial control.
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The report specifically cites cases of enforced disappearances allegedly involving members of the public forces, with the most vulnerable populations concentrated in the provinces of Esmeraldas, Guayas, and Los RĂos.
It also questions the curfew imposed in March 2026, noting that authorities failed to put sufficient safeguards in place to prevent disproportionate actions.
El Comité contra la Desaparición Forzada (CED) manifestó su preocupación por la inexistencia de registros interoperables, actualizados y en tiempo real sobre las personas privadas de libertad.
Asimismo, alertĂł sobre la práctica de liberaciones en lugares aislados y de difĂcil… pic.twitter.com/HIQaeekhvV
— Fernando Bastias Robayo 🇵🇸 (@NandoBastias) March 25, 2026
The committee called on Ecuador to phase out the Armed Forces’ role in internal security, strengthen civilian institutions and oversight mechanisms, and ensure that all disappearances are investigated promptly, independently, and effectively. It further recommended the creation of a unified national registry for missing persons and reinforced protections for victims, their families, and human rights defenders.
(teleSUR)
