President Donald Trump announced on Sunday his intention to reduce U.S. funding to Colombia, accusing Colombian President Gustavo Petro of failing to curb drug production in the country.
In a social media post from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, Trump labeled Petro as “an illegal drug dealer” and criticized him for being “low rated and very unpopular.” He issued a stark warning: if Colombia does not act to shut down drug operations, “the United States will close them up for him, and it won’t be done nicely.”
This latest statement comes amid growing friction between Washington and Bogotá, one of the U.S.’s key allies in Latin America. Earlier on Sunday, Petro accused the U.S. of carrying out an assassination and demanded explanations following the latest American strike in Caribbean waters.
The U.S. confirmed on Saturday that it was repatriating two survivors of the attack to Colombia and Ecuador. This marks the sixth such operation since early September, in which at least 29 people have reportedly died in strikes the U.S. claims targeted suspected drug traffickers.
Colombia, the world’s largest cocaine exporter, has seen coca leaf cultivation the primary ingredient for cocaine reach record levels, according to the United Nations. In September, the Trump administration criticized Bogotá for inadequate cooperation in the war on drugs, though it issued a waiver of sanctions that could have cut aid.
Tensions escalated further when the State Department revoked Petro’s visa while he attended the U.N. General Assembly in New York. The move followed Petro’s participation in a protest urging U.S. soldiers to resist Trump’s orders. “I ask all the soldiers of the United States’ army, don’t point your rifles against humanity,” Petro said at the protest.
Petro also identified Alejandro Carranza, a fisherman from Santa Marta, as one of the victims of the Sept. 16 strike. Petro claimed Carranza had no ties to drug trafficking and that his boat had mechanical problems at the time. “U.S. officials have committed murder and violated our sovereignty in territorial waters,” Petro wrote. He confirmed that Colombia’s attorney general had been notified and called for legal action both internationally and in U.S. courts.
“The United States has invaded our national territory, fired a missile to kill a humble fisherman, and destroyed his family. This is Bolívar’s homeland, and they are murdering his children with bombs,” Petro added.
Meanwhile, Colombian news outlet Noticias Caracol reported that another victim of the strike was hospitalized and remains in critical condition. Colombian Interior Minister Armando Benedetti stated that the injured individual would face prosecution, noting that he was found with a boat containing cocaine. “Despite the fact it was in international waters, his repatriation will be handled as if he were being prosecuted in the United States,” Benedetti said.
The situation underscores the mounting strain in U.S.-Colombia relations, as both drug policy and national sovereignty remain at the center of a heated dispute.
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