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Ecuador’s world-famous Galapagos Islands now open to US military
The decision is part of a process that seeks the re-establishment of US military bases on Ecuadorian territory. Several voices have severely criticised the decision as a violation of Ecuador’s sovereignty, reports PABLO MERIGUET

THE national government of Daniel Noboa approved a resolution that enables US ships and crews to use the Galapagos Islands for control and patrol activities in the area.

On February 15 2024, Noboa signed a series of military co-operation treaties with the US government, allowing ships, military personnel, armament, equipment, and submarines to be installed in the natural reserve, which Unesco declared a World Natural Heritage Site in 1978.

In doing so, Noboa ratified the Washington Agreement, signed by former president Guillermo Lasso. The agreement grants US soldiers and their contractors several privileges, exemptions, and immunity in Ecuadorian territory, similar to those enjoyed by members of diplomatic missions as agreed on in the Vienna Convention.

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Features / 3 February 2025
3 February 2025
The project has caused indignation in Cuba, which claims sovereignty over the base, occupied more than 100 years ago by the US military, writes PABLO MERIGUET