Ecuador Expels Cuban Ambassador, Orders Entire Havana Mission Out Within 48 Hours

Ecuador’s Foreign Ministry issued a diplomatic note dated March 4, 2026 declaring Basilio Antonio Gutiérrez García persona non grata and ordering the ambassador “and all those working in this diplomatic mission” to leave Ecuador within 48 hours, the ministry said in the formal communication from its Directorate of Ceremonial and Protocol.

The official text reproduced the ministry’s deadline in clear language: “48 hours... for the ambassador and all those working in this diplomatic mission to leave our national territory.” The note cites Article 9 of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations as the legal basis for the measure, and the ministry said the 48-hour period runs from the time of notification.

Havana’s foreign ministry responded with a public condemnation, calling the expulsions an “unfriendly and unprecedented act that seriously damages the history of friendly and cooperative ties between the two countries.” Cuba’s statement added: “It does not seem accidental that this decision was made in a context marked by a strengthening of US aggression against Cuba, and by strong pressure applied by that government on third countries to join this policy.”

Ecuador also moved in parallel to withdraw its own ambassador to Havana. An executive order signed the day before the diplomatic note canceled the diplomatic duties of José María Borja in Havana, a development that commentators and regional outlets describe as amounting to a de facto break in normal diplomatic relations between Quito and Havana.

Security presence and chaotic scenes were reported outside the mission in Quito. A photograph credited to Rodrigo Buendia captures members of Ecuador’s military patrolling in front of the Cuban embassy in Quito, and one initial account stated that videos circulating online show embassy staff burning documents amid the tensions; the origin and authenticity of those videos have not been independently verified.

Sources differ on the exact number of Cuban personnel affected. One initial account said President Daniel Noboa declared Basilio Gutiérrez and 21 diplomats persona non grata, while the formal diplomatic note refers more broadly to “all members of the diplomatic, consular, and administrative staff accredited at the Cuban headquarters in Quito” without providing a roster or head count.

Ecuador’s ministry indicated it would provide more information during the course of the day but the full diplomatic note text and an official list of expelled personnel have not been published. Attempts to obtain an immediate response at the Cuban mission in Quito were not successful, and there is no public confirmation yet of when the ordered departures will be completed.

The expulsions and reciprocal recall of ambassadors mark a sharp rupture in Ecuador‑Cuba ties in Quito and Havana. Authorities on both sides have set a tight timetable: diplomats ordered out within 48 hours and a promise of more detail from Ecuador’s foreign ministry, leaving verification of departures, the exact personnel count, and the final wording of the diplomatic note as the key outstanding items.