Ecuador's President Rafael Correa shook up the establishment in early
April after forcing the resignation of defence minister Wellington
Sandoval, the military Chiefs of Staff, and the countries police chief
amid accusations that the military and intelligence organisations were
infiltrated by, and under the control of, the CIA.
Among those accused was the army intelligence chief, Colonel Mario
Pazmino, who has been linked with White Legion, a far-right group that
has issued death threats against journalists, human rights activists and
social movement leaders.
The scandal broke out only 6 weeks after the Colombian military
illegally bombed and raided Ecuadorian territory on March 1, attacking a
camp of the left-wing guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of
Colombia (FARC).
In the aftermath of Colombia's attack, news began to surface about US
involvement in the attack, and the prior knowledge of some sectors of
the Ecuadorian military.
