Colombian President Gustavo Petro. Photo: EFE/Lenin Nolly.
During a cabinet meeting, Colombian President Gustavo Petro alleged that Ecuador may be conducting bombing operations along their shared border, following the discovery of a bomb allegedly dropped from an aircraft. This allegation comes amid escalating diplomatic and trade tensions between the two nations.
Petro emphasized that these are not the actions of armed groups, but rather direct violations. The Colombian president explained that an investigation is currently underway to determine the exact origin of the bomb; however, he reiterated his suspicion that “we are being bombed by Ecuador, and it’s not armed groups.”
According to the president, there is a recording of the incident that will be made public soon, and it confirms that there have been multiple explosions.
For its part, Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa and Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld denied attacking Colombian territory, claiming that military operations are carried out exclusively on Ecuadorian soil against alleged guerrilla camps, calling the Colombian president’s accusations false.
“What I can confirm is that Ecuador does indeed have operations targeting camps of irregular groups; they are not Ecuadorian, they are groups that cross our border from Colombia, but are located in Ecuadorian territory,” Sommerfeld stated.
Some photos have emerged in recent media reports of a bomb that was allegedly dropped on Colombia from Ecuador.
The relationship between Colombia and Ecuador is experiencing a diplomatic and commercial crisis that intensified at the beginning of 2026. This situation stems from the political tensions between the governments of Gustavo Petro and Daniel Noboa.
The breaking point was Ecuador’s decision to impose tariffs of up to 30% on Colombian products, citing trade imbalances and questioning cooperation on security and the fight against drug trafficking.
In response, Colombia adopted reciprocal measures, including similar tariffs on Ecuadorian goods and the suspension of electricity exports to Ecuador. Electricity is crucial to Ecuador’s energy system.
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The dispute also extended to the oil sector, with tariff increases for transporting Colombian crude through Ecuadorian territory, affecting export logistics and raising costs for companies like Ecopetrol. The escalation continued with the tightening of trade measures. Ecuador raised tariffs to 50%, while Colombia maintained its position of reciprocity.
This has created a scenario of a “trade war” between two Andean partners with trade exceeding $2 billion annually. Although this trade volume is not decisive for either economy, it does impact specific sectors, especially in border areas where commerce is more dynamic.
(Telesur) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JB/SH
