Overview
- Colombian President Gustavo Petro said an active explosive device found near the border may have been dropped from an aircraft and alleged recent blasts came from Ecuador.
- Petro reported asking U.S. President Donald Trump to call Ecuador’s Daniel Noboa to halt what he claims are cross-border strikes, though he offered no public evidence.
- Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa denied any incursions, saying strikes are confined to Ecuadorian territory against narco-terrorist hideouts he says often involve Colombian groups.
- Ecuador raised a tariff on Colombian imports from 30% to 50% as a self-described security tax, and Colombia responded with its own duties on Ecuadorian goods.
- Ecuador recently carried out a joint operation with U.S. forces near the border using drones, helicopters, and river boats, as both nations’ ties fray ahead of Colombia’s May election.