US moves MQ-9 Reapers to South America

It is still unclear how many of US Africa Command’s Reapers are to be transferred. According to CNN, quoting one of the sources familiar with the matter, „most” of the UAVs will be sent.

There is a high likelihood that counternarcotics and counterterrorism operations in question will be conducted in Ecuador – a country that began conducting such operations with the US earlier this year. It is also worth adding that the US decided to open a separate FBI office in Ecuador in March this year. It’s located within the US Embassy in Quito. Ecuador remains one of the main transit routes for narcotics produced in Colombia and Peru. Once the safest country in Latin America, it has now become a battleground for cartels. Both the US and Ecuadorian governments have made combating the drug trade a central focus of their agendas.

Another of the sources said that discussions regarding the transfer of drones are still underway. Some of them may need to be sent to the Middle East, judging by the fact that the US military has lost several MQ-9 units in its war against Iran.

Washington needs to be careful, as Africa itself is by no means safe. Groups like ISIS and Al-Shabaab run rampant in the region due to the US’s declining presence over the years. US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has named the US homeland and the Western Hemisphere as the Pentagon’s number one priority in the official National Defence Strategy in January. With all those regions competing for US military attention, Africa may end up getting the short end of the stick.

The US Department of War has been conducting strikes against alleged drug traffickers for some time now. Attacks in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific have reportedly killed at least 230 people. Some experts criticise these strikes, claiming that drug trafficking is typically not conducted via the boats that are being targeted, calling the whole campaign „performative.”