• Eleven Ecuadorian soldiers received 34 years' imprisonment for the forced disappearance of four boys.
• The boys, aged 11 to 15, vanished during a military operation in Guayaquil.
• The court's ruling cited severe abuse and abandonment by the military personnel.
• The case has sparked nationwide outrage, raising concerns about human rights violations under current government policies.

An Ecuadorean court has sentenced 11 soldiers to more than 34 years in prison for their roles in the forced disappearance of four boys, ages 11 to 15, during a military operation against organized crime in Guayaquil. This judgment concludes a year-long investigation into the shocking abuse that occurred during a crackdown on crime, where the boys were picked up by a military patrol while returning from playing football on December 8, 2024, according to Reuters and Al Jazeera.

The boys, known as "The Malvinas Four," were forcibly stripped, beaten, and ultimately abandoned in a dangerous area, where their charred remains were later discovered. One boy had called his father for help before they disappeared, but by the time the father arrived, they were already gone. Judge Jovanny Suarez indicated that the patrol "abandoned the minors in that area, knowing it was dangerous, desolate, and abandoned," highlighting the severity of the soldiers' actions, as noted by BBC and Reuters.

Five additional soldiers who cooperated with prosecutors received lesser sentences of two and a half years. The ruling comes amid widespread national outrage over the incident, which critics argue reflects broader issues of human rights violations under President Daniel Noboa's militarized approach to combating crime. Activists, including Amnesty International, have expressed concerns over a rise in "enforced disappearances" attributed to security forces, with reports that over 40 individuals may have vanished since Noboa took office, according to Al Jazeera and BBC.