President Noboa, however, says strikes target armed groups within Ecuadorian territory.

On Tuesday, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa rejected statements by Colombian President Gustavo Petro about alleged Ecuadorian bombing attacks on Colombian territory.

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Colombia Accuses Ecuador of Dropping Bomb Near Border

“From day one, we have fought narcoterrorism in all its forms: those who operate in the streets and those who, from politics or even the judiciary, lend themselves to protecting criminals,” the right-wing politician posted on X.

“Today, together with international cooperation, we continue that fight, bombing locations that served as hideouts for these groups, largely Colombians whom their own government allowed to infiltrate our country due to neglect of its border.”

“President Petro, your statements are false. We are acting on our territory, not yours. We will not take a step back,” Noboa stressed.

In a television interview on Tuesday morning, Ecuador’s Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld said her country is carrying out attacks against Colombian irregular groups that cross the border and move into Ecuadorian territory.

She also referred to recent statements by Petro, in which he urged U.S. President Donald Trump to contact Noboa to prevent a war between Ecuador and Colombia.

“No one wants a war. What must be acknowledged is that Ecuador has a non-international armed conflict within our territory,” Sommerfeld said, referring to armed criminal groups linked to drug trafficking and illegal mining.

Regarding the imposition of a 50% tariff on Colombian imports, Sommerfeld said Ecuador hopes Colombia will exercise greater border control so that drug production does not shift into Ecuador.

Hours earlier, during a televised ministerial meeting, the Colombian president suggested that Ecuador may be bombing Colombian territory along the shared border.

“Bombs have appeared. A bomb. Bombs dropped from aircraft. The methods will be thoroughly investigated along the border with Ecuador, somewhat confirming my suspicion. But it must be carefully investigated whether we are being bombed from Ecuador and not by armed groups,” Petro said, adding that a video to be made public soon will confirm his claims.

“I asked Trump to act… because we do not want to go to war… But we also cannot be bombed with low-grade weapons… national sovereignty must be respected,” the Colombian president added.

The text reads, “Images of the bombs that would have been dropped from Ecuador. Colombian media show the artifacts that would have fallen in a jungle and border area in the department of Nariño, Colombia, according to Signal Colombia.”

These statements come amid an escalating diplomatic dispute between Ecuador and Colombia. Relations between these Andean nations are undergoing a diplomatic and trade crisis that intensified in early 2026.

The breaking point was Ecuador’s decision to impose tariffs of up to 30% on Colombian products, citing Colombia’s insufficient cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking.

In response, Colombia adopted reciprocal measures, including similar tariffs on Ecuadorian goods and the suspension of electricity exports to Ecuador, a key resource for the Andean country’s energy system.

The dispute has also extended to the oil sector, with increases in fees for transporting Colombian crude through Ecuadorian territory, affecting export logistics and raising costs for companies such as Ecopetrol.

The escalation continued with stricter trade measures. Ecuador raised tariffs to 50%, while Colombia maintained its stance of reciprocity. This has created a scenario of a “trade war” between these partners, whose bilateral trade exceeds US$2 billion annually.

teleSUR/ JF

Sources: EFE – X – teleSUR

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