Ecuador Investigates Disappearance of Four Boys After Alleged Military Involvement

President Daniel Noboa orders intensified search and pledges accountability as surveillance footage raises questions about military actions.

Four boys aged 11 to 15 went missing on December 8 in Guayaquil after reportedly being detained by men in military uniforms, according to witnesses and surveillance footage.
Newly reviewed videos show two of the boys being apprehended by armed men in camouflage, placed in a military-style truck, and driven away, contradicting official denials of military involvement.
Ecuador’s Attorney General’s Office has raided an air force base, seizing vehicles and cellphones of 16 soldiers allegedly involved in operations near the site of the disappearance.
President Noboa, under pressure from human rights groups and public protests, has vowed transparency and accountability but stated it is premature to classify the case as a forced disappearance.
The incident has intensified scrutiny of Ecuador's military amid rising violence and crime, with critics alleging abuses linked to the government's reliance on armed forces to combat drug-related crime.