Other MoA event in Esmeraldas, Colon Eloy Alfaro area, Ecuador on Tue 17th February 2026

On 17 February 2026, near Colon Eloy Alfaro (Eloy Alfaro, Esmeraldas), Ecuadorian military forces engaged in an armed confrontation with an unknown number of armed assailants in the Juan Montalvo rural sector. After the confrontation, authorities arrested the leader of the Cristian Guerrero Front, a faction linked to the Oliver Sinisterra Front, a FARC dissident group operating along the northern border (coded separately). Hours later, 10 group members were arrested with a large arsenal of weapons (coded separately). During the confrontation, one individual was injured and taken to the hospital. He has a prior criminal record for extortion, arms trafficking, and providing armed protection for illegal mining activities. There were no fatalities.