On May 9, 11 Ecuadorian military personnel were killed in the Amazonian province of Orellana. According to the National Army, four combat teams of the 19th Napo Jungle Brigade, formed by almost 80 soldiers, were conducting inspection and control operations against illegal mining activities near the Punino River.
According to the survivors, one of the combat teams was ambushed by a group of heavily armed men who have not yet been fully identified, although the state hypothesizes that they are from the criminal group “Comandos de Frontera” or Border Commandos. The attack was carried out with rifles, grenades, and explosives of different types, according to military intelligence.
The Army and the National Police offered a USD 5 million reward to anyone who helps locate the attack’s perpetrators.
Who carried out the attack?
The Army informed that, on the side of the attackers, someone identified as commander of the Border Commandos was killed: “Through the exchange of information with the intelligence and security agencies of the neighboring country of Colombia, it was confirmed that the neutralized guerrilla responded to the alias of ‘Compadre’, who served as commander of the Border Commandos in Ecuador.”
However, Border Commandos, through a statement released in Colombia, denied their participation in the attack and affirmed that they are not responsible for the deaths of the 11 soldiers.
For now, the Army announced the immediate mobilization of 1,500 soldiers to the Punino area, including special forces, intelligence units, among others, whose mission is to find the culprits.
The Attorney General’s Office announced that it has initiated an investigation into an alleged terrorist attack on the national army. Several prosecutors are in the area gathering evidence to better understand how such a deadly attack against supposedly well-equipped soldiers was possible. In February of last year, there was already a confrontation between the army and illegal armed groups in the area, although on that occasion, only one death was reported.
Indeed, the Punino area is highly coveted for its mining production. During 2023, the Armed Forces carried out inspections and the destruction of illegal mining camps. The discovery was surprising, as they found 15 backhoe loaders, two water motors, among other mining artifacts, and thousands of gallons of gasoline, which showed considerable productive activity in a prohibited area.
The government’s response
Faced with the massacre, the president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, who continues a criticized and prolonged international tour, said on X: “We will find those responsible and we will finish them off.” For its part, the Presidency of the Republic issued a statement saying: “Ecuador is in mourning after the murder of 11 brave soldiers…The President of the Republic has ordered national mourning on May 10, 11, and 12 in honor of these soldiers…Likewise, the Head of State has declared these members of the forces of law and order as National Heroes.”
However, several analysts have questioned whether the actions taken by Noboa’s government have had an effect in controlling organized crime, which has now extended its activities to illegal mining, among other things. The first five months of 2025 are the most violent start of the year in Ecuador’s history. The first quarter of the year ended with 2,361 violent deaths, 65% more deaths than those registered in the same period in 2024.
In an opinion article, the Spanish newspaper El País stated: “The President’s security strategy, the militarization of police work or the iron fist are not enough to put an end to violence, since that means forgetting the structural causes of the problem, that is, inequality, lack of opportunities and the scarce presence of the State in the most affected areas.”
For now, the government faces a promise that many Ecuadorians doubt can be fulfilled: to reduce crime and murder rates.
The government does not appear to be making substantial modifications to its security plan, known as Plan Fénix, so it is unclear how it will economically weaken or dismantle the increasingly powerful groups responsible for a major attack on the Ecuadorian Army – likely the most serious since the end of the armed conflict with Peru. In this way, the state’s security forces, for the first time since the 19th century, are threatened by illegal groups that seem to be increasingly controlling the country.
The names of the 11 deceased are:
- Lieutenant, José Luis Iza Sánchez
- Lieutenant, Jorge Alexander Andrade Bastidas
- Second Sergeant, Héctor Marcelo Mullo Bravo
- Lance Corporal, Walter Willian Andrango Toapanta
- Lance Corporal, Diego Orlando Lomas Ramírez
- Lance Corporal, Victor Adrián Vera Minga
- Lance Corporal, Anthony Brayan González Canchig
- Lance Corporal, Danilo Javier Caiza Torres
- Lance Corporal, Jefferson Iván Alvarado Cerda
- Lance Corporal, Georvi David Vega Jiménez
- Private, Marlon Rodrigo Guamushig Reysancho
A few days ago, more than a dozen Peruvian miners were reportedly killed by armed groups linked to illegal mining. This could be the beginning of a transnational problem that threatens the national sovereignty of countries in the face of a market eager for metals and willing to challenge the territorial control of Amazonian states. The result of such actions could go further than simple skirmishes. They could threaten the very sense of territorial unity of these countries.
