Colombia’s Petro Accuses Ecuador of Bombing Near Border

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has accused Ecuador of conducting bombing raids inside Colombian territory, dramatically escalating tensions between the neighboring South American countries.

“Bogota, Colombia – Colombian President Gustavo Petro has said that 27 charred bodies were discovered on his country’s joint border with Ecuador, just one day after suggesting the Ecuadorean military may have bombed Colombian territory”

Al Jazeera

Petro made the explosive claims during a televised cabinet meeting on Monday, stating that authorities discovered '27 charred bodies' near the Colombia-Ecuador border.

Al Jazeera

Petro claimed a bomb had been dropped from an aircraft in Colombian territory, saying 'A bomb has appeared, dropped from a plane... very close to the border with Ecuador.'

The Colombian president asserted that the attacks could not have been carried out by illegal armed groups, which he argued lack aerial capabilities.

Petro revealed that multiple explosions had been reported in recent days and that his government possessed an audio recording allegedly originating from Ecuador.

Petro presented no concrete evidence to support his claims during the cabinet meeting.

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa swiftly rejected Petro's accusations, insisting that his country's military operations were conducted exclusively within Ecuador's territory.

'President Petro, your statements are false; we are acting in our territory, not yours,' Noboa wrote on the social media platform X, adding defiantly, 'We will not take a step back.'

Anadolu Ajansı

The Ecuadorian president framed his country's military actions as necessary operations against 'narco-terrorist structures' and criminal organizations.

Noboa claimed many of these groups have Colombian origins and have established bases near the border.

'Together with international cooperation, we continue this fight, bombing locations used as hideouts by these groups,' Noboa stated.

Noboa accused Colombia of failing to control its side of the border and allowing criminal organizations to infiltrate Ecuador.

The current crisis cannot be understood without the context of escalating tensions between Colombia and Ecuador, which have been building for months over trade disputes and security concerns.

“The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, stated that his government has indications that the country may be being bombed from Ecuadorian territory, a claim that has heightened diplomatic tensions with Ecuador at a time already marked by political, trade, and security disputes along the shared border”

ColombiaOne

The confrontation stems from Ecuador's imposition of a 30% 'security tariff' on Colombian imports in January, later increased to 50%.

Noboa justified the tariffs by accusing Colombia of failing to adequately combat drug trafficking along their shared border.

Colombia retaliated with tariffs on 73 Ecuadorian products, suspended electricity exports to Ecuador, and imposed restrictions on bilateral trade.

Noboa wrote: 'From day one we have fought narco-terrorism in all its forms, those who operate on the streets and those who, from politics or even within the judiciary, lend themselves to protecting criminals.'

The border region has long been plagued by armed groups and drug trafficking networks that exploit the jungle geography and limited state presence.

The situation has been further complicated by deepening US involvement in the region, with Ecuador positioning itself as a key security ally of the Trump administration.

Ecuadorian forces launched a major US-backed security offensive last Sunday, deploying thousands of military and police officers throughout crime-affected provinces.

Gestión

Ecuador implemented nighttime curfews as part of the security operations.

Last week, Ecuador became a founding member of Trump's 'Shield of the Americas,' a 17-nation military alliance designed to combat drug traffickers.

Notably, Colombia was excluded from this alliance, which has deepened the rift between Petro and the regional conservative movement led by Noboa.

The cooperation was further strengthened by the opening of Ecuador's first FBI office in Quito.

Petro's latest claims mark the most serious rupture yet in the bilateral relationship, raising the specter of potential cross-border military incidents.

“Colombia's president, Gustavo Petro, denounced an alleged bombing by Ecuador after the discovery of a 'bomb' on Colombian soil near the shared border”

Gestión

The Colombian president acknowledged the gravity of the situation, stating that he had appealed directly to US President Donald Trump to intervene diplomatically.

Latin America Reports

'I asked him to act and call the president of Ecuador because we do not want to go to war,' Petro said, revealing that he had made the request to Trump without specifying when.

The Colombian Minister of Defense, Pedro Sánchez, announced that Colombian forces have been deployed to the border to investigate the matter.

Colombian forces plan to carry out a controlled destruction of an alleged Ecuadoran bomb.

With both sides digging in their heels and trading increasingly heated accusations, the situation remains highly volatile.