Bomb, charred bodies and diplomatic crisis: what is known about tensions between Ecuador and Colombia

Understand the tensions between Colombia and Ecuador The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, suggested on Monday (16) that Ecuador carried out a bombing raid on Colombian territory, close to the border between the two countries. According to him, an unexploded bomb was found near the house of a rural family. ✅ Follow the g1 international news channel on WhatsApp Still talking about the incident, on Tuesday (17), Petro used a social network to state that 27 bodies were found charred in the border region. He did not provide further details about the episode. The president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, denied that he ordered a bombing against Colombia. On a social network, he stated that the country is carrying out attacks against criminal groups, but only within its own territory. The case comes amid an escalation of tensions between the two countries, which also includes a trade dispute. In this report, you will see: Where was the bombing? How many people died? What is known about the bomb found? What did Colombia and Ecuador say? What’s behind the crisis? 1. Where was the bombing? According to the Colombian government, the attack took place near the city of Ipiales, in the south of the country, a few meters from the border with Ecuador. Residents of the region claimed that planes had dropped bombs on the Ecuadorian side. Part of the artifacts would have fallen into Colombian territory. To AFP, peasant Julián Imbacuán said that an explosive fell about 60 meters from his house, in the town of El Amarradero. According to him, the alleged attack took place on March 3. “About three planes arrived, more or less, on the Ecuadorian side, and dropped these devices, and some managed to explode, but on the Ecuadorian side”, he said. “We were all terrified, I mean scared, and worried that, suddenly, these devices were going to explode and could take our lives.” Images released show the explosive amidst plantations and a nearby crater. The government asked residents to stay away from the area. Tensions between Colombia and Ecuador Alberto Correa/Arte g1 Back to top. 2. How many people died? President Gustavo Petro stated that 27 charred bodies were found in the region. To date, there is no official confirmation on the identity of the victims or the circumstances of their deaths. It is also unclear whether all the deaths occurred in the same incident. g1 sent questions to the Colombian government about the case, including doubts about the victims, the date of the attack and the relationship between the bomb found and the bodies. There was no response until the last update of this report. Back to top. 3. What is known about the bomb found? Fragment that the Colombian government says is from a bomb that hit Colombian territory on March 16, 2026. Colombian president accused Ecuador of attacks. Wilmar Garzón Melendes/ AFP According to the Colombian government, the bomb found weighs around 250 kg and was not detonated. Images show that the explosive has inscriptions in English. According to experts interviewed by AFP, the artifact that appears in the photos would be an MK-type free-fall bomb, which is unguided and falls by gravity. This type of weapon is generally manufactured in Brazil and the United States. There is still no official confirmation about the origin of the bomb or who launched it. Back to top. 4. What did Colombia and Ecuador say? Daniel Noboa and Gustavo Petro, presidents of Ecuador and Colombia Montage g1/Reuters/Reproduction Petro stated that Colombia was the target of an attack from Ecuador and said that the bombings were not carried out by illegal armed groups. In a meeting with ministers, he declared that he asked the President of the United States, Donald Trump, for help to intervene in the case. “I asked you to call the president of Ecuador because we don’t want to get into a war,” he said. According to Petro, bombs fell near the homes of families who replaced coca crops with legal products, such as coffee and cocoa. The president even released a photo of the chocolates produced by these communities. Noboa classified the accusations as false. He said that Ecuador fights criminal groups and that the bombings are part of this offensive, but only within Ecuadorian territory. The Ecuadorian president also accused Colombia of failing to control the border, allowing criminal groups to enter the country. “Today, with the support of international cooperation, we continue in this fight, bombing places that served as hiding places for these groups, mostly Colombian, that their own government allowed to infiltrate Ecuador due to carelessness at the border”, he published on a social network. Back to top. 5. What is behind the crisis? Soldiers at the command post of La Ferroviaria, in Durán, province of Guayas, Ecuador, on March 15, 2026. MARCOS PIN / AFP Tension between the two countries has been increasing since February, when Ecuador imposed tariffs on Colombian products. Colombia responded with similar measures. In addition to the trade dispute, there are disagreements over the fight against drug trafficking in the border region, where guerrillas and criminal organizations operate. Ecuador began a recent military offensive against these groups, with support from the United States and the mobilization of thousands of soldiers. Back to top. VIDEOS: most watched on g1

Source link