Ecuador made the decision to leave only two of the border crossings with Colombia and Peru open due to "national security reasons," the Foreign Ministry reported.

Located between the world's two largest cocaine producers, Ecuador shares a porous border of about 600 km with Colombia (north) and another of about 1,500 km with Peru (south), linking the Pacific with the Amazon.

Facilitates smuggling

Ecuador's borders, separated by rivers and jungle areas, are porous and have countless illegal crossings used for smuggling drugs, weapons, and explosives.

The Ecuadorian government decided that “for reasons of national security” it will keep the international crossings of Rumichaca (with Colombia) and Huaquillas (Peru) open, the main commercial gateways with its neighbors, the Foreign Ministry stated on social media without giving further details or specifying until when.

Ecuador has other legal connections, which have been closed.

Bogota and Lima informed in advance

Authorities added that the measure was communicated in a timely manner to Bogota and Lima and that these crossings will be the only ones authorized for transit between Ecuador and its neighbors.

Ecuador Ecuador is waging a war against drug trafficking gangs with connections to international cartels, whose bloody struggle for power has made it the most violent country in Latin America. The nation will end the year with the highest homicide rate in the region: 52 per 100,000 inhabitants, according to the Ecuadorian Observatory of Organized Crime.