Overview
- Ecuador, which announced the hike Thursday, said 100% duties on Colombian imports will start May 1 as a security step tied to drug and border crime.
- Colombian President Gustavo Petro recalled his ambassador and called the measure a “monstrosity,” and he urged a pivot away from the Andean trade bloc toward Mercosur.
- Colombia has already hit back with tariffs on Ecuadorian goods and stopped electricity sales, a strain for drought-prone Ecuador that also relies on Colombian medicines and farm inputs.
- Talks under the Andean Community are suspended after Ecuador pulled its envoy over Petro’s comments labeling ex–vice president Jorge Glas a political prisoner.
- Noboa says earlier tariffs cut violent deaths on the northern border by 33%, and the jump to 100% caps increases from 30% in January and 50% in February as businesses warn of steep losses and border disruption.