Ecuador Builds US Military Base in Manta as Gangs Spread Terror

MANTA, ECUADOR

Ecuador is racing to construct a new US-backed naval base in the coastal city of Manta, confidential blueprints reveal, as President Daniel Noboa pleads for American troops to help crush drug cartels and gangs turning streets into war zones.

The facility-equipped with barracks, a 150-meter pier, and DEA-linked operations centers-could host US Southern Command (Southcom) forces within months, a top Ecuadorian official. The project, funded partly by the US State Department, signals a dramatic escalation in Washington's fight against transnational crime, just as Noboa prepares to meet Donald Trump in Florida to solidify the alliance.

But with Ecuador's April runoff election looming, the plan faces fierce opposition from leftist candidate Luisa González, who vows to block foreign military presence.