US Adds Ecuador's Chone Killers to Foreign Terrorist List Amid Gang Warfare

The US State Department has recently added the Chone Killers, an Ecuadorian criminal gang, to its list of foreign terrorist organizations. This designation comes as part of a broader campaign by Washington to label various Latin American gangs and cartels as terrorist entities since February. The move marks the 18th such addition in this period, reflecting increasing US concern over organized crime dynamics in the region.

InSight Crime Managing Editor Deborah Bonello discusses this development with Co-director Steven Dudley and investigator Gavin Voss, who have extensively researched Ecuador's criminal landscape. They note that while the Chone Killers were indeed formed as a splinter group from the larger Choneros gang in 2020, their current status is more complex than the simple designation might suggest.

Gavin Voss explains that understanding the Chone Killers requires knowledge of the broader context within Ecuador's criminal scene. The Choneros themselves are one of the country’s most influential criminal organizations, and their fragmentation has led to a volatile environment marked by intense turf battles among rival factions. This internal conflict complicates efforts to categorize any single group as purely terrorist in nature.

Bonello emphasizes that while the US designation highlights the severity of the threat posed by these gangs, it also raises questions about how such labels will be received and acted upon within Ecuador itself. The move could potentially impact diplomatic relations and local law enforcement strategies, underscoring the need for a nuanced approach to addressing gang violence in Latin America.