The Controversial Partnership Between Ecuador and Erik Prince

Santiago Peña speaks at Inter-American Dialogue (Wikimedia Commons)

President Daniel Noboa of Ecuador publicized his partnership with Erik Prince, founder of US private military contractor Blackwater, in his latest move to combat crime. This announcement came on February 9.  

In 2019, Ecuador was considered a safe haven amongst its neighbors’ high rates of internal violence. That year, the homicide rate sat at 6.7 per 100,000 inhabitants. this rate quickly skyrocketed 430 percent in just five years. 

Criminal groups have entered a new era of empowerment, spurred by the economic downturn of COVID-19 and general insecurities. This combination of events further exacerbated emigration flows, putting Ecuador on the United States Secretary of State’s priority watch list. 

The high crime rates also had significant domestic and political consequences which led to the declaration of an ‘internal armed conflict’ by President Daniel Noboa in early 2024. Noboa issued a state of emergency and ordered the military to confront criminal groups and control Ecuador’s prisons. This series of orders sparked widespread concerns for human rights.

Crime also quickly overshadowed other domestic concerns leading up to the February 9 elections. Noboa’s campaign featured a ‘mano dura,’ or “firm hand",” approach to reducing crime, following in the footsteps of other regional leaders such as El Slavador’s Nayib Bukele. 

Noboa’s latest move to emphasize his tough-on-crime stance comes as an announcement, via X, of a ‘strategic alliance’ with the founder of US private security company Blackwater, Erik Prince. 

The partnership with Prince sparks concerns over Blackwater’s previous involvement in the death of civilians, most famously, Blackwater’s involvement in the Nisour Massacre in Baghdad, Iraq in 2007 where Blackwater security guards, opened fire ending the lives of 17 civilians and leaving many injured. 

Former Army commander Luis Altamirano, one of the vocal critics of the ‘alliance,’ calling it “deplorable” that “they seek to hire the services of a mercenary army.” Ecuadorian lawyer, Marlon Martínez Molina, criticized Noboa for his introduction of para-militarism, a choice that could further escalate violent confrontation in a country already rattled by internal violence. Ecuadorian novelist, Cristina Burneo, also commented on the alliance stating  “Noboa is the death of Ecuador...there is no end to the terror in this country.”

This move by Noboa also signals a turn towards the United States and the Trump administration as different Latin American leaders grapple with the new administration’s approach to the region. He is working to become a key regional ally to Trump, and his alliance with Prince, a prominent Trump supporter, further solidifies their relationship.