Survivors of US attacks on Ecuadorian fishing boats say US imperialist and Ecuadorian lackey forces detained and tortured them during operations in March and April.
According to Dropsite News, 36 survivors from two separate incidents in the Pacific Ocean reported their vessels were struck before they were taken into custody.
The first attack occurred in March, targeting 16 crew members aboard the La Negra Francisca Duarte II. The fisherman report that a drone dropped a yellow cylinder on their vessel that exploded, igniting fires. Many crew members jumped into the ocean to escape the flames.
A US patrol ship marked “Spear”—referencing “Operation Southern Spear,” the ongoing US military campaign in the region—arrived. US soldiers hooded and handcuffed the fishermen without explanation. They were reportedly held on a hot metal deck for more than 24 hours and denied food, water, and medical care.
The victims have maintained they were engaged in routine fishing and say they had been cleared by the Ecuadorian coast guard hours earlier at a checkpoint on the Galápagos Islands.
The crew was found about five days later by El Salvador’s coast guard with severe injuries, including burns, deep lacerations, and exposed bone, according to the report.
The second attack occurred on April 3 and targeted 20 fishermen aboard the Don Maca. Survivors said drones tracked their vessel for more than a day before being struck. They reported being detained for approximately eight days, and subjected to harsh treatment during captivity.
At least 170 fishermen and peasants have been killed in US strikes in the Caribbean and Pacific over the past eight months.
On March 3, US and Ecuadorian forces raided a farm in Ecuador and abducted and tortured peasants under the guise of combating drug trafficking. They were then told to go to Colombia after the invaders burned down their farm.
The attacks come as US imperialism intensifies its aggression against the people of Latin America to deepen its domination of the continent and maintain its status as the sole hegemonic imperialist superpower. The lackey government of Ecuador headed by Daniel Noboa has expanded its collaboration with US imperialism, selling out the country and brutally repressing the people’s movement for national liberation.
Image: Two B-1B Lancer bombers during an “Operation Southern Spear” mission, 2025. Credit: United States Air Force.
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