Right-wing, reactionary mercenary leader, Eric Prince /
Photo: La República EC

Quito, July 18 (RHC)-- Erik Prince, known for founding the controversial security firm Blackwater and considered a mercenary, returned to Ecuador on Friday after being hired by the government to train police and military personnel.

This was confirmed by Interior Minister John Reimberg, who noted that Prince's participation is part of the strategies promoted by President Daniel Noboa as part of his strategy against organized crime.

Local media reported that this is Prince's third visit to the country so far in 2025.  His arrival comes after Noboa reiterated the declaration of an internal armed conflict, a term he uses to cover a series of actions to curb insecurity, the success of which has so far been questioned.

In the first quarter of 2025 alone, Ecuador surpassed 2,300 murders, a 65 percent increase compared to the same period in 2024, when 1,428 were recorded.  

The terms of the agreement with Prince and its cost are still unknown.  Prince's record is highly questionable, as he founded Blackwater in 1997, and the company, considered a private army, was accused of human rights violations during the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

In 2010, the company was sold to an investment group that renamed it Academi.

The group's founder visited Ecuador in April in the context of Noboa's election campaign, and social organizations accused him of political campaigning. 

[ SOURCE: PRENSA LATINA ]