The legal action stems from a March 17 strike that destroyed the fishing vessel La Negra Francesca Duarte II roughly 385 nautical miles from Manta. Sixteen crew members survived the initial drone assault, though two sustained severe burns before the vessel was completely consumed by fire. After deploying emergency rafts, the fishermen were detained by camouflaged personnel and spent weeks imprisoned in El Salvador despite lacking illicit cargo.
Key points
The lawsuit filed in Pennsylvania federal court demands unspecified damages and an injunc…: The lawsuit filed in Pennsylvania federal court demands unspecified damages and an injunction against future maritime strikes.
Plaintiffs' attorneys argue the drone strikes lacked necessary congressional authorizatio…: Plaintiffs' attorneys argue the drone strikes lacked necessary congressional authorization and directly violated international law.
The Department of Defense declined to comment, while US Southern Command previously denie…: The Department of Defense declined to comment, while US Southern Command previously denied targeting Ecuadorian fishing boats.
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More than a dozen Ecuadorian fishermen are suing the US government after they survived a military drone attack in the Pacific ocean earlier this year that sank their boat and left two of them with serious burns from the explosions.
The 17 March attack on the La Negra Francesca Duarte II was part of the Trump administration’s Operation Southern Spear campaign, announced in November 2025 ostensibly to counter “narco-terrorists” it said operated in the Caribbean and Pacific.
The Washington office on Latin America (Wola) said as many as 250 people have been killed by the US military in subsequent attacks. The group considers the actions extrajudicial executions because the government has provided no proof that the victims were engaged in trafficking.
In the lawsuit seen by the Guardian, to be filed in US district court for the western district of Pennsylvania on Monday, the 16 fishermen insist they had no connection with the drug trade and were illegally targeted by the crew of an unidentified US military vessel about 385 nautical miles from the port of Manta as they returned…
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