CaliToday (14/11/2025): Colombia’s government rapidly reversed course on Thursday, scrambling to contain the diplomatic fallout from President Gustavo Petro's threat to suspend vital intelligence-sharing with the United States over its controversial and deadly attacks on vessels in international waters.
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| Colombian President Gustavo Petro has called for his US counterpart Donald Trump to be investigated over deadly strikes on vessels in international waters [Luisa Gonzalez/Reuters] |
In a flurry of damage control just 48 hours after Petro’s explosive announcement, top cabinet members insisted it was all a "misunderstanding" and that the critical anti-drug trafficking cooperation would continue uninterrupted.
In a social media post, Colombian Defence Minister Pedro Arnulfo Sanchez stated that President Petro had provided "clear instructions" to maintain a "continuous flow of information" with international agencies.
"Against transnational crime, the answer is international cooperation," Sanchez wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
The country’s interior minister, Armando Benedetti, was even more blunt, attributing the crisis to a simple "misunderstanding." Benedetti insisted that Petro never intended to halt the work of US security agencies, which operate alongside Colombian counterparts.
"We will continue working as this Government has done against drug trafficking and crime with the United States," Benedetti stated.
An Alliance on the Brink
The apparent about-face comes after a Tuesday declaration from Petro a left-wing leader and a vocal critic of US President Donald Trump that sent shockwaves through the diplomatic and defense communities.
Petro had announced that a formal order was issued "to suspend communications and other dealings with US security agencies."
The threat was a direct response to a fiercely debated US "bombing campaign" in the Caribbean and Pacific, which the Trump administration claims is necessary to deter drug traffickers. The strikes, which began in September, have killed at least 76 people to date.
Global Condemnation and a Personal Feud
The US campaign has drawn scathing global condemnation. In late October, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk labeled the operations "unacceptable" and clear violations of international law.
"The US must halt such attacks and take all measures necessary to prevent the extrajudicial killing of people aboard these boats, whatever the criminal conduct alleged against them," Turk said.
The dispute has also become deeply personal. President Trump, without providing evidence, has accused Petro of being involved in drug trafficking, imposing sanctions on the Colombian president and his family last month.
Petro, in turn, has called for Trump to be investigated for war crimes linked to the attacks, which have affected citizens from Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, and Trinidad and Tobago.
The Colombian leader has passionately argued that Washington is targeting low-level coca-growing peasants instead of the high-level traffickers and money launderers. On Sunday, Petro revealed he had met with the family of a Colombian fisherman allegedly killed in one of the US strikes.
"He may have been carrying fish, or he may have been carrying cocaine, but he had not been sentenced to death," Petro said during a recent summit. "There was no need to murder him."
The diplomatic ripple effects have spread. CNN reported earlier this week that the United Kingdom had also suspended some intelligence-sharing with the US over the strikes. However, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio rejected that report on Wednesday, telling reporters the story was "fake" without offering further details.