Petro asks for Trump intervention to avert war as US-backed neighbor denies border bombing

Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Monday accused Ecuador of bombing his country’s territory and called for President Donald Trump to intervene to avert war.

Petro claimed during a cabinet meeting Monday that an explosive device was “dropped from an aircraft” near the country’s border with Ecuador, suggesting tensions could escalate between the nations amid ongoing tariff and trade disputes. “They are bombing us from Ecuador,” he said, adding that he has asked Trump to “take action” and speak with Ecuador’s government. “We don’t want to go to war.”

Ecuador denies the accusation, with President Daniel Noboa firing back at Petro on social media. “President Petro, your statements are false,” Noboa wrote. “We are acting in our territory, not yours.”

In March, U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) launched joint U.S.-Ecuador strikes on narco-terrorist targets in the country, calling it a “powerful example” of cooperation in combatting the cartels. Ecuadorian Interior Minister John Reimberg announced on Sunday that 35,000 police officers were deployed throughout Ecuador, telling the nation, “We’re at war.”

Trump urged Latin American countries at the Shield of Americas summit on March 7 to use military force against drug cartels, adding, “We’ll help you.” Petro was not invited to the Shield of Americas summit, which White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed was due to a lack of cooperation from the Colombian government. Petro’s office wrote in an X post that Trump apologized for “prior inconvenience related to an invitation in Miami” and “reiterated that President Petro will always be welcome in the United States.”

The president designated multiple cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations on the first day of his second administration, paving the way for SOUTHCOM to strike alleged narco-terrorist boats in the Caribbean in September 2025.

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