The Ecuadorian president accused Petro’s government of failing to fight against drug trafficking and decided to double tariffs on Colombian products. Both governments have decided to recall their ambassadors as a protest measure.
Tensions between the South American neighbors show no signs of abating. Days after Colombian President Gustavo Petro called former Ecuadorian vice president Jorge Glas a political prisoner, the government of Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa announced a 100% tariff on all Colombian products entering the country. Colombia’s Minister of Commerce Diana Morales announced on the following day, Friday, April 10, that Colombia would reciprocate with a 100% tariff on Ecuadorian goods.
The Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry also requested that the Ecuadorian ambassador to Colombia, Arturo Félix Wong, return to Ecuador as a protest against Petro’s statements, which they deemed “false”. Petro responded by also ordering his ambassador in Quito, María Antonia Velasco, to return to Colombia immediately.
Growing tensions between neighbors
The recent escalation follows months of strained diplomatic relations between Bogotá and Quito following a 50% increase in tariffs on Colombian products by the right-wing government of Daniel Noboa, who accused Petro’s progressive government of not doing enough to support the fight against drug trafficking, especially along the northern border.
For his part, Petro had stated that his government is indeed effectively combating drug trafficking, but that it cannot be held responsible for the lack of control at Ecuadorian ports. In response, Petro accepted the challenge and increased tariffs by 30% on Ecuadorian products entering Colombia.
Those who have suffered the most from the tariff hike have been merchants, especially those located along the border between the two countries, who have staged several protests demanding an end to the tariff crisis. The foreign ministries of both countries have stated that they have met on several occasions to resolve the crisis.
Glas: the spark that ignited a fire that never went out
But the crisis did not improve; quite the contrary. When Petro said on April 6, that former VP Jorge Glas is a “political prisoner” and called for his release, Noboa’s reaction was swift. On April 7, the Ecuadorian president defended the country’s justice system, saying: “Today, from abroad, they want to peddle the story of ‘political prisoners’ to cover up the obvious: there is a corrupt individual in prison who must answer to Ecuador.”
Glas was seeking asylum at the Mexican Embassy in Quito when Ecuadorian armed forces unilaterally stormed the diplomatic compound to take him away and subsequently imprison him in a maximum-security prison. Glas’s defense team recently revealed that the former vice president is ill and has lost 14 kilograms because, they claim, he is not receiving enough food.
Colombia: President Petro Hints at Possible Ecuadorian Bombing on Shared Border
Countries recall their ambassadors for consultations, and Ecuador increases tariffs by 100%
Noboa warned that Petro’s statements would have consequences. The first step, was the request lodged by the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry for the Ecuadorian ambassador to Colombia, Arturo Félix Wong, to return to Ecuador. Additionally, Ecuadorian diplomats sent a note of protest to the Colombian government over Petro’s “false” statements.
But the Noboa administration went further. The Ecuadorian government announced that it will raise tariffs on Colombian products entering Ecuador to 100%, a move that has caused a major media stir.
Petro responded by ordering his ambassador in Quito, María Antonia Velasco, to return to Colombia immediately. He also posted a lengthy message on X in which, according to some political commentators, he indirectly addresses Noboa, a member of Ecuador’s wealthiest family involved in banana exports, among other major business ventures: “I wasn’t born into a family of major banana growers or bankers… I have never had shipments of cocaine seized on merchant ships, from any company I own; I have no bank accounts anywhere in the world, nor any companies, and my only asset is the family home that I am still paying off to the bank. I don’t get involved in shady business.”
Furthermore, Petro wrote: “Let them explain in Ecuador why cocaine shipments are turning up on those shady business ships; let Ecuador’s politicians explain why security at the seaports has weakened so much that they’ve become the world’s largest cocaine exporters. Colombian mafias are teaming up with Ecuadorian mafias and with people of political and economic power. We have just handed over a criminal who apparently helped in the murder of an Ecuadorian presidential candidate. I know from the recordings – which are said to be from your government – that you are sending foreign orders seeking drug lords to accuse me at the border. I know I have shown the utmost patience in enduring the insults from the Ecuadorian president directed at my people and me.”
Finally, Petro declared: “The president of Ecuador is insulting the Colombian government, which has seized more cocaine than ever before in the history of the world. President Noboa is insulting the Colombian president, who today announced to the nation a reduction in the number of hectares of coca leaf crops in Colombia – a feat not achieved since 2018 … Our ambassador to Ecuador must return immediately, and the next cabinet meeting will be held at a location on the border with Ecuador.”
In light of the crisis, Noboa has stated that it is highly unlikely the crisis will be resolved in the short term – a crisis he said was triggered by Petro’s statements that violate the principle of non-intervention. In this regard, he said on X: “Unfortunately, agreements cannot be reached with those who do not share the same commitment to fighting narco-terrorism. Since we took this measure, violent deaths on the northern border have decreased by 33%. In the future, we will be able to engage in dialogue with a government that is truly committed to combating crime and drug trafficking.”
