Colombian President Gustavo Petro stated on Sunday that arms, ammunition, and explosives used by illegal armed groups in the department of Cauca are entering the country from Ecuador. He directly associated the alleged flow of weapons with a recent massacre on the Pan-American Highway, where at least 20 civilians were killed and more than 30 others were wounded. Petro argued that the shared border is being used as a key smuggling route for ordnance, which he described as part of a deliberate effort to destabilize Colombia through sustained violence.
He also rejected suggestions that his government has been lenient on cross-border crime, asserting that Ecuadorian political dynamics are being used to divert attention from alleged corruption. “What Noboa has done is use Colombia and my government to divert the debate away from the powerful Ecuadorian politicians tied to drug trafficking,” Petro said. He further insinuated that the Los Choneros criminal network, previously led by the fugitive known as “Fito,” maintains links with political circles in Ecuador, contributing to the country’s role as a major cocaine-export hub amid rising homicide rates.
The accusations come in the immediate aftermath of the attack near Cajibío, which Colombian authorities have attributed to dissident factions of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Investigators have been instructed to determine the origin of the explosives used in the assault, as part of broader efforts to map supply chains behind recent acts of violence in Cauca.
Petro additionally claimed that Ecuadorian mafia networks are interfering in Colombia’s voluntary coca eradication efforts and its “total peace” initiative, with the aim of intensifying armed conflict. He suggested these destabilization efforts could be linked to political interests ahead of Ecuador’s presidential elections scheduled for May 31.
