By Catalino Hoyos | 2025-04-23

QUITO/BOGOTA -- Indigenous communities along the Ecuador-Colombia border are under growing threat from at least 11 criminal organizations tied to drug trafficking, which have infiltrated their ancestral territories.

The forced recruitment of Indigenous Ecuadorians by these groups has become a pressing concern for Indigenous organizations and nongovernmental organizations, as well as for national and international institutions.

Indigenous communities along the Ecuador-Colombia border are experiencing serious violations of their right to live in peace and safety, Enoc Merino, an analyst and member of the Kichwa Yaku Supay Runa Foundation, told Entorno. Those rights "must be guaranteed," he emphasized.

"It's a dark scenario for the Indigenous peoples of the border," Merino warned. "They are alone in this struggle; all they can do is resist and find ways to survive, as they have done for more than 500 years."

The growing presence of illegal armed groups is disrupting ancestral ways of life and destroying the traditional social fabric of these communities, he said.

"They no longer have the freedom to peacefully roam their territory or connect with the beings of the jungle, their guardian spirits," he said.

These criminal organizations not only forcibly recruit Indigenous residents but coerce them into money laundering, prostitution and even murder, said Merino.

In many cases, criminals use entire communities as human shields to deter military operations by Ecuadorian or Colombian security forces.

Rampant cross-border drug trafficking

A report by Ecuador's Ecuavisa television network, aired on October 16, revealed that at least 11 criminal organizations tied to drug trafficking are operating across the 586km-long border shared with Colombia. These groups have expanded their presence and influence since 2020, fueling a surge in illegal activity throughout the region.

Among the most prominent Colombian groups identified in the report are the National Liberation Army (ELN), the Gulf Clan (Clan del Golfo) and dissident factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

On the Ecuadorian side, criminal gangs said to hold "significant control" along the border include Los Choneros, Águilas, Patones, Tiguerones, Gánsters and Lobos.

These organizations are engaged in a wide range of illicit activities, including cocaine and arms trafficking, illegal mining, extortion, contract killings and money laundering, Ecuavisa reported.

Indigenous inhabitants make up roughly 7.7% (numbering about 1.3 million) of Ecuador's population -- according to the most recent census. These communities are concentrated primarily in the Sierra (68.2%), followed by the Amazon (24.1%) and the Coast (7.6%).

Poverty, limited economic opportunities and growing pressure from armed groups have made Indigenous populations -- particularly children and adolescents -- increasingly vulnerable to forced recruitment.

Escalating violence

Criminal groups are offering money to both adults and minors to join, social organizations report. Those who refuse often face death threats.

Beyond sowing fear, these armed groups are driving forced displacement and sundering the social and cultural fabric of Indigenous communities along the Ecuador-Colombia border.

At the Second National Meeting of Indigenous Guards of Ecuador, held last October 4–5 in the ancestral community of San Isidro de Pujilí, Indigenous leaders warned that their communities face "permanent and increasing risk" due to escalating violence. They cited territorial disputes; kidnappings; and violations of physical, cultural and sexual integrity as ongoing threats to their family and communal life.

Participants underscored the growing danger posed by organized crime and armed groups, particularly in border regions, where forced recruitment of young Ecuadorians, drug-related intimidation and threats have become increasingly common.

Across the border in Colombia, the National Indigenous Organization of Colombia (ONIC) has sounded alarms over what it described as a "critical and alarming" situation in the Ñambí Piedra Verde Reservation and other Awá territories in the municipality of Barbacoas, Nariño, which borders Ecuador.

On March 22, unknown assailants set fire to the home of Aurelio Araujo, newly appointed general coordinator of the Ricaurte Awá Indigenous Major Council (Cabildo Mayor Awá de Ricaurte or Camawari).

ONIC condemned the attack as a clear act of intimidation, part of a broader pattern of threats, forced displacement and violence targeting Indigenous communities in the region.