Ecuador’s Noboa pledges to extradite criminals in State of the Union speech

உலகம்

Ecuador’s Noboa pledges to extradite criminals in State of the Union speech

Published

4 hours ago

May 25, 2026

alaguraj@gmail.com

The right-wing president highlighted anti-crime operations and economic progress, while critics warned of abuses.

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa has used his State of the Union speech to tout his United States-backed crime-fighting strategies as well as improvements to the economy.

Addressing the National Assembly in the capital Quito on Sunday, Noboa cited the extradition of a dozen crime bosses to the US and the seizure of almost 300 tonnes of drugs as examples of what he described as his decisive and effective approach.

“We will seek them out, find them and extradite them,” Noboa said of wanted criminals. He also asserted that the South American country cannot develop “if families live in fear”.

Organised crime is the leading concern among Ecuadorians this decade, after a spike in homicides during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since 2021, Ecuador has struggled to contain drug violence as rival cartels partner with local gangs to battle for control of routes and coastal ports used to smuggle cocaine. The country is wedged between Colombia and Peru, the world’s top cocaine producing countries.

Last year, Ecuador recorded its highest homicide rate in decades, with approximately 50 murders for every 100,000 residents, according to the Ministry of the Interior.

In response, Noboa, who was reelected last year to a four-year term, has used a state of exception to allow the military to implement a variety of crime-fighting strategies, including joint patrols with police officers and property searches without warrants.

Earlier this year, Ecuador’s military also carried out an operation with US forces against a training camp allegedly used by Colombian drug traffickers, attacking the site with drones, helicopters and boats.

Noboa’s approach, however, has come under criticism from civil society groups, who say his iron-fisted methods have failed to reduce crime while putting civilians in danger.

Glaedys Gonzalez, an analyst for the Andean region at the International Crisis Group, said on Sunday that Noboa may have been optimistic in his speech regarding the country’s security.

“Progress on violence is far from being achieved,” Gonzalez said. “It is evident that the situation in Ecuador has reached unprecedented levels.”

Sunday’s speech also promoted Ecuador’s economic progress, with Noboa telling lawmakers that poverty dropped from 26 percent to 21.4 percent in 2025. Extreme poverty, he added, went down from 10.4 percent to 8.4 percent.

Noboa was first elected in 2023 during a snap election triggered when then-President Guillermo Lasso dissolved the National Assembly and shortened his own term.

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/24/ecuadors-noboa-pledges-to-extradite-criminals-in-state-of-the-union-speech?traffic_source=rss

Related Topics:சர்வதேச செய்திகள்தமிழ் மொழிபெயர்ப்பு

Up Next

Cuba thanks China for rice shipment amid worsening humanitarian conditions

Don't Miss

LIVE: Trump says Iran deal not ‘fully negotiated yet’

alaguraj@gmail.com

Click to comment

உலகம்

‘Trump needs a deal, no matter how bad it is’

Published

4 hours ago

May 25, 2026

alaguraj@gmail.com

Harlan Ullman argues that US President Donald Trump is chasing any Iran deal to relieve mounting pressure at home.

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.aljazeera.com/video/quotable/2026/5/24/trump-needs-a-deal-no-matter-how-bad-it?traffic_source=rss

உலகம்

Senegal parliament speaker steps down as political crisis worsens

Published

4 hours ago

May 25, 2026

alaguraj@gmail.com

The speaker of Senegal’s parliament says he is resigning, two days after his close ally was fired as prime minister in a deepening political crisis.

The move by speaker El Malick Ndiaye clears the way for sacked premier Ousmane Sonko to run for the post of head of parliament, where his Pastef party holds a strong majority.

That could further complicate reform efforts by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who sacked his former ally Sonko on Friday after months of tensions.

Ndiaye said on Facebook that his decision to step down was “a personal choice, guided above all by my notion of institutions, public responsibility and the greater interest of the nation”.

Faye owed his presidency in large part to Sonko, who would almost certainly have taken the top job had he not been barred from running in the last presidential election due to a defamation conviction.

Their Pastef party won the 2024 elections on a promise of a profound political shake-up, vowing to fight corruption and inheriting an economy mired in debt.

But there had been discord between the president and prime minister for months, making their governing alliance increasingly uncertain.

Faye’s dismissal of Sonko on Friday risked worsening uncertainty in a country grappling with a debt crisis and ⁠ongoing talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The IMF froze a $1.8bn lending programme following ‌the discovery of misreported debt hidden by the previous government, pushing the country’s end-2024 debt level to 132 percent of its economic output.

Faye’s move increases the threat of further delays in reaching a new agreement with the IMF.

On Friday, before Sonko’s dismissal, Finance Minister Cheikh Diba told parliament that the government expects to resume talks with the IMF in the second week of June, and hopes to reach an agreement on key points by June 30.

Sonko was a popular opposition leader under the previous administration of President Macky Sall, whose decision to delay the 2024 election spurred unrest.

Both Faye and Sonko are former tax officials who ⁠were jailed ahead of the 2024 election. They were released 10 days before the rescheduled contest, which Faye went on to win with 54 percent of the vote.

Pastef dominates the National Assembly, meaning it could complicate governance and the passage of reforms needed to secure IMF support. Last ‌month, politicians overwhelmingly approved electoral code changes that could pave the way for Sonko to run for president in 2029.

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/24/senegal-parliament-speaker-steps-down-as-political-crisis-worsens?traffic_source=rss

உலகம்

Pakistan’s Eid livestock traders losing as war on Iran pushes up prices

Published

4 hours ago

May 25, 2026

alaguraj@gmail.com

Pakistan’s Eid livestock traders losing as war on Iran pushes up prices

Livestock traders in Pakistan say the war on Iran has hurt their sales ahead of Eid al-Adha.

Rising fuel prices have driven up transport and food costs for the traders, pushing animal prices higher and hurting sales at one of Islamabad’s biggest cattle markets.

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2026/5/24/pakistans-eid-livestock-traders-losing-as-war-on-iran-pushes-up-prices?traffic_source=rss