Key Facts

• A court in Ecuador sentenced 11 soldiers to 34 years for the disappearance of four children.
• The children, aged 11 to 15, went missing from Guayaquil on December 8, 2024.
• Authorities found the boys' charred bodies weeks later in a rural swampy area.
• Five additional soldiers cooperating with prosecutors received 2.5-year prison sentences.
• Soldiers claimed they released the boys alive, but evidence showed mistreatment.
• The military operation was part of President Daniel Noboa's "Phoenix Plan" to reduce gang violence.
• Amnesty International reported that enforced disappearances have increased under this plan.
• The case highlighted concerns about human rights violations in Ecuador.