Latin America Defense Monitor — September 12–19, 2026
Venezuela comes off the US failed-drug list as a Trump–Rodríguez meeting is set for UNGA week. Colombia refuses an ELN hostage exchange and moves its navy command to Cartagena. Ecuador’s courts free 56 detained fishermen. The post Latin America Defense Monitor — September 12–19, 2026 appeared first on The Rio Times .
Week of September 12-19, 2026: Defense Monitor Details Latin America Situations
In Venezuela, Washington removed the country from its list of nations that "clearly fail" to combat drug trafficking on September 16. The interim government and opposition held a second round of US-backed talks on September 18, leading to President Trump's first meeting with acting president Delcy Rodríguez at the UN General Assembly. Venezuela's transformation from target to partner has been swift, with the country now cooperating with the US.
In Colombia, the ELN kidnapped four people on August 17, including an army major, two police officers, and a civilian. The group demanded their unconditional release and proposed an exchange, which President de la Espriella rejected. The four must be released unconditionally, he said, and operations to find them would be intensified.
Ecuador signaled a shift against US presence by removing the air force chief by decree following his request for legal rules covering US flights at Taura air base. The Ecuadorian courts had previously freed 56 crew members of vessels seized in US operations. Ecuador's institutions have questioned the legal limits of US forces, which include two US warships and a Coast Guard cutter.
The US continues its offensive against drug trafficking in Latin America, with strikes killing three people in Ecuador on September 16 and two more on September 19. The cumulative toll of the campaign is uncertain, but over 230 dead have been reported across 75 strikes.
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