Petro says bomb belongs to Ecuador’s army

Understand the tensions between Colombia and Ecuador After accusing Ecuador of bombing Colombian territory close to the border on Monday (16), Gustavo Petro returned to comment on the matter, this time on social media, this Wednesday (18). According to the President of Colombia, it was confirmed that the bomb found in Colombian territory belonged to the Ecuadorian army. Petro also stated that the investigation is ongoing and that he will publish a diplomatic note of repudiation. At least 27 charred bodies were found in the community of El Amarradero, Colombia, near the border with Ecuador. On Tuesday (17), the president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, denied having bombed targets in Colombia. He also said that the bombings did not come from illegal groups. “I asked them to call the president of Ecuador because we don’t want to get into a war,” he said. The Ecuadorian president stated that the country carries out attacks, but within its own territory. The images show fragments of bombs with words in English, in the department of Narino, close to the border that separates the two countries. 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 Petro, bombs fell near the homes of families “who peacefully decided to replace their coca leaf crops with legal crops”, such as coffee and cocoa. The Colombian leader published a photo of the chocolates they produce. It is still unclear when the bombing took place nor the identities of the bodies found. The bombing occurred a day after the Noboa government launched a broad offensive, with US help, to combat Ecuadorian drug cartels, with coordinated attacks by land, air and sea. Tensions between Colombia and Ecuador Alberto Correa/Arte g1 Petro’s speech accusing Ecuador took place during a recorded meeting with ministers on agrarian reform. “They are bombing us from Ecuador and they are not illegal armed groups,” he said during the meeting, which was shown on television. Petro added that he asked US President Donald Trump to “act” in the face of the alleged bombing. “I asked you to call the president of Ecuador because we don’t want to get into a war,” he added, without revealing the date on which he made the request. Gustavo Petro REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez Dispute with Ecuador Colombia and Ecuador have been fighting a trade war since February, when Ecuadorian Daniel Noboa imposed tariffs on the neighboring country after complaining about Petro for allegedly not making sufficient efforts to combat drug trafficking on the border. Petro responded with the same measure and, despite diplomatic efforts, the crisis continues. “Shield of the Americas” Ecuadorian forces began a two-week anti-drug offensive on Sunday (15) with support from the United States. The country mobilized 75,000 soldiers and imposed a strict curfew in some regions of the country. Noboa is very close to Washington and his country is part of the so-called “Shield of the Americas”, an alliance of 17 countries on the continent recently created to face security threats. Colombia is not part of the agreement announced by Trump – who is opposed to Petro. The two, however, called a truce after a meeting at the White House on February 3. The meeting took place after months of public exchanges of accusations, threats and insults. 386 US President Donald Trump, President of the Dominican Republic Luis Abinader, President of Argentina Javier Milei, President of El Salvador Nayib Bukele, President of Guyana Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of Costa Rica Rodrigo Chaves Robles, President of Bolivia Rodrigo Paz and President-elect of Chile José Antonio Kast pose for a family photo during the “Shield of Women” Summit. Americas” in Miami. EUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

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