Ecuador Celebrates Argentina Declaring Chone Killers a Terrorist Organization

The Ecuadorian government has welcomed Argentina's decision to classify the criminal group Chone Killers as a terrorist organization. Ecuador's Interior Minister, John Reimberg, expressed his approval on social media, highlighting the move as a sign of the region's unified stance against organized crime.

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The decision by the Government of Argentina to declare Los Chone Killers a terrorist threat to continental security demonstrates that the region has decided to act with firmness. Organized crime will be pursued coordinately and without respite, utilizing the full weight of the state.

"The decision by the Government of Argentina to declare Los Chone Killers a terrorist threat to continental security demonstrates that the region has decided to act with firmness," Reimberg wrote on X. He emphasized that organized crime will be pursued coordinately and without respite, utilizing the full weight of the state. Reimberg asserted that the fight against organized crime has entered a new phase, where borders will no longer shield terrorists or provide refuge for those threatening citizens' peace. He underscored international cooperation as the primary strength in combating these groups, declaring that impunity has ended.

This designation follows Argentina's earlier classification of Ecuadorian criminal groups Los Choneros and Los Lobos as terrorist organizations in October of the previous year. Both groups, along with Chone Killers, were also designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the U.S. government under President Donald Trump, with Chone Killers added on July 1. The Argentine Presidency stated that Chone Killers poses a real or potential external threat to national security, endangering lives, property, and assets. Inclusion in Argentina's Public Registry of Persons and Entities Linked to Acts of Terrorism and its Financing (RePET) will enable financial sanctions and operational restrictions to curb the group's activities and safeguard Argentina's financial system from illicit use.

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The fight against organized crime has entered a new phase, where borders will no longer shield terrorists or provide refuge for those threatening citizens' peace.

The announcement coincides with Argentine President Javier Milei's visit to Quito to meet with his Ecuadorian counterpart, Daniel Noboa. The leaders are set to sign bilateral agreements. This measure aligns with Ecuadorian President Noboa's January 2024 declaration of a "state of internal armed conflict" to intensify the fight against organized crime, which has been linked to an unprecedented surge in violence within the country. Chone Killers, Los Choneros, and Los Lobos were also labeled as terrorists by Noboa earlier in 2024.

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International cooperation is the primary strength in combating these groups, declaring that impunity has ended.