Ecuador on Wednesday ordered the expulsion of Cuba's ambassador to Quito, telling him and the rest of his embassy staff that they had 48 hours to leave the country, the foreign ministry announced.

This view shows a Cuban flag at the Cuban embassy in Quito on March 4, 2026. (Photo: AFP)

It declared Basilio Gutierrez persona non grata but did not offer a specific reason for the decision.

In its statement, the ministry gave "48 hours...for the ambassador and all those working in this diplomatic mission to leave our national territory."

Cuba fired back, calling the dismissal an "unfriendly and unprecedented act that seriously damages the history of friendly and cooperative ties between the two countries," Havana's foreign ministry said.

"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," it added.

Ecuadoran President Daniel Noboa is a close ally of US President Donald Trump, whose government has imposed a de facto energy blockade on Communist-ruled Cuba.

On Tuesday, Quito ended the stint of its own ambassador in Havana.

A couple dozen demonstrators gathered at the Cuban embassy in Quito in response to the government's decision, with some bringing flowers, signs or flags in protest.

"This made me extremely indignant and shameful," Maria Augusta Calle, Ecuador's former ambassador to Cuba, told AFP.

Vladimir Paguay, a 51-year-old lawyer, said Noboa "is following directives from the US government."