BOGOTA: Colombian President Gustavo Petro ordered his nation's security forces Tuesday to stop sharing intelligence with the United States, until the Trump administration stops its strikes on suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean, as relations deteriorate between the nations that were once close partners in the fight against drug trafficking.
In a message on X, Petro wrote that Colombia's military must immediately end “communications and other agreements with U.S. security agencies" until the U.S. ceases its attacks on speedboats suspected of carrying drugs, that critics have likened to extrajudicial executions.
Petro wrote that “the fight against drugs must be subordinated to the human rights of the Caribbean people.” It wasn't immediately clear what kind of information Colombia will stop sharing with the United States.
At least 75 people have been killed by the U.S. military in strikes in international waters since August, according to figures supplied by the Trump administration. The strikes began in the southern Caribbean but have shifted recently to the eastern Pacific, where the U.S. has targeted boats off Mexico.
Petro has called for U.S. President Donald Trump to be investigated for war crimes over the strikes, which have affected citizens of Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia and Trinidad and Tobago. In October, the Trump administration placed financial sanctions on Petro and members of his family, over accusations of involvement in the global drug trade.
Petro “has allowed drug cartels to flourish and refused to stop this activity,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement after the sanctions were issued Oct 24. “President Trump is taking strong action to protect our nation and make clear that we will not tolerate the trafficking of drugs into our nation.”
The White House had no immediate response to Petro's latest statements.
