Youth
protest against Manta Military
Base
The National Youth Camp for Peace ended on Sunday March 26 with a demonstration
of more than 100 young Ecuadoreans in front of the Manta military base occupied
by the US Army since 1999. The Youth Camp was organized by the Ecuador No Bases
Coalition.
As a result of three days of protest and debate, the young men and women presented
a public declaration rejecting the US presence in the Ecuadorean Military Base
of Manta. They also oppose the renewal of the agreement signed between Ecuador
and the United States, which ends in 2009. They also demand the restitution of
the land taken away from farmers, the investigation of human rights violations
by US military and civilians, and legal actions to punish those responsible,
lifting the immunity US military and civilians hold within the Agreement. The
young people also expressed their opposition to the possible signing of the Free
Trade Agreement between Ecuador and the US, recognizing that this forms part
of a domination strategy, along with the militarization of the region.
From 24 to 26 March, young people from the cities of Coca, Guayaquil, Ibarra,
Loja, Santo Domingo de los Colorados, Quito, Portoviejo, Manta and other areas
in the province of Manabí protested while debating the situation and proposing
future actions. Ecuadorean police officers and members of the US Army were posted
near the meeting place during the whole Youth Camp. The police threatened with
not allowing the meeting to be held, however the young people continued resisting
with non-violent means.
During the Camp, the Ecuador No Bases Coalition also made a call for the International
Conference for the Abolition of Foreign Military Bases around the World, which
will be held in March 2007 in Manta. It is expected that this Conference will
be the largest gathering of militants for peace opposing foreign military bases.
There will be an analysis of the impact of military bases around the world, sharing
of experiences and the establishment of global coordination mechanisms to set
forth effective strategies and campaigns to ensure the abolition of foreign military
bases.
The action carried out by young Ecuadoreans is one of many activities promoted
by other organizations the denounce the violation of human rights of the people
in Manta, as well as to raise awareness on the impact of presence of US military
personnel in Manta.
Since 1999, Ecuador and the US signed an agreement to provide the US Army with
a Forward Operation Location (FOL) in the Manta Air Force Base in the province
of Manabí. Up to now more than 24,000 hectares have been expropriated
from peasants who lived around the area. The agreement has been signed for a
period of 10 years, renewable in 2009. The stated objective is to combat drug
traffic, but it is clear that it is really one of the main components of the
Colombia Plan in which the Ecuador Army is increasingly involved. After six years,
it is clear that the main activities carried out by the US Army in Manta are
to control migration and provide logistic support for the anti-guerrilla war
in Colombia, providing information to the Colombian Army about the guerrilla’s
movements.
Although the signing of the agreement violated national law, it was presented
by the Ecuadorean government as a development opportunity for Manta because it
would supposedly increase employment, attract foreign investment, reactivate
tourism and it would create a new urban structure. However, the impacts of the
foreign army’s presence are quite different. The cost of living has increased,
the number of sexual workers and night clubs has grown and there is more sexual
exploitation of the girl child and youth.
In addition, US military ships have apparently carried out 45 illegal approaches
to boats that were transporting Ecuadorean migrants or that were fishing, sinking
and destroying at lease eight Ecuadorean boats from 2001 to June 2005. There
has been no punishment because the US personnel in the Manta Base have immunity.
The security programs carried out since the arrival of the US Army has created
conflicts with civil society, since such programs affect the population’s
traditional survival mechanisms, based on fishing and farming. Due to the militarization
of the port of Manta, local fisherfolk cannot carry out their work, causing an
increase in unemployment and migration.
Manta is one of more than 700 US military bases in more than 130 countries, which
constitute one of the components of the US strategy to control resources, which,
along with satellites and destructors, allows them to reach any part of the World
immediately. For this reason, peace and justice movements have come together
to struggle for the abolition of foreign military bases in the world and to coordinate
actions in the World Conference in March 2007 in Manta.
Participating organizations in the National Youth Camp
for Peace: ACJ Ecuador, Coalición No Bases Ecuador,
Grupo de Objetores de Conciencia del Ecuador, INREDH, Movimiento
Tohalli, Movimiento Juvenil Kolping, Pastoral Juvenil del
Coca, SERPAJ Ecuador, Red Juvenil Anticorrupción
de Portoviejo y Coordinadora Juvenil de Manabí.
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