The Trump administration has relocated an undisclosed number of MQ-9 Reaper drones from Africa to Colombia and Ecuador, signaling a new approach to Latin American cartels, according to U.S. officials cited by The New York Times. The Reapers, known as the “hunter-killers” of the U.S. military, are capable of intercepting electronic communications, detecting heat signatures, and carrying out precision strikes.
The commander of U.S. Southern Command, General Francis Donovan, has stated that the United States plans to expand its operations to include ground attacks and seeks to exert “total systemic pressure” on criminal networks. Ecuador received its first MQ-9A drones in Guayaquil during the last week of September, and Ecuadorian officials confirmed that two are currently operating in its airspace.
Lawyers specializing in conflict law and some lawmakers argue that lethal strikes against alleged drug traffickers constitute illegal extrajudicial killings, since the victims—even if they commit crimes—do not pose a direct threat to the United States. The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has documented that, despite the attacks, cocaine remains “widely available and relatively cheap” in the United States, suggesting that the campaign has not affected the flow of drugs.