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Ecuadorian authorities deployed military presence around the Cuban Embassy in Quito on Wednesday after President Daniel Noboa's government declared the Cuban ambassador and all diplomatic staff of the mission as persona non grata.
The station Radio Pichincha reported on social media about the movement of military personnel outside the diplomatic headquarters, amidst the tension generated by the official decision of Ecuador.
An hour ago, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility notified the Cuban embassy through a diplomatic note dated March 4, 2026, that Ambassador Basilio Antonio Gutiérrez García and all diplomatic, consular, and administrative officials accredited in the country must leave Ecuadorian territory within 48 hours.
The measure is based on Article 9 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961, which permits a state to declare members of a diplomatic mission as persona non grata.
In parallel, President Daniel Noboa signed an executive decree that terminates the functions of Ecuador's ambassador to Cuba, José María Borja López, which implies a breakdown in the current level of diplomatic representation between the two countries.
According to reports cited by the agency Prensa Latina and the Ecuadorian outlet Periodismo EC, the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry stated that it will provide more details regarding the decision throughout the day.
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