Colombia has announced it would halt military equipment purchases from the United States following Washington’s decision to decertify Bogota’s anti-drugs efforts.
“From now on, weapons will not be purchased from the United States,” Interior Minister Armando Benedetti told local media on Tuesday.
President Gustavo Petro, meanwhile, emphasized that his country would end its dependence on external “handouts.”
The move came a day after US President Donald Trump accused the leftist Colombian head of state of not only failing to curb cocaine production, but allegedly overseeing its surge to “all-time records.”
Trump had added that as a result, he would “designate Colombia as having failed demonstrably to meet its drug control obligations.”
The remarks flew in the face of Petro’s efforts at pursuing a novel approach to the drug crisis, which has seen him shift the country’s focus more towards the social elements that contribute to the problem.
According to reports, his social programs have provided thousands of farmers with viable alternatives to coca cultivation, including cacao, coffee, and sustainable agricultural projects.
Despite the US president’s accusations, Bogota has also continued to launch targeted operations that have dismantled multiple cocaine production labs in remote areas.
Intelligence-sharing and modernization of the security forces have also increased in the face of persistent threats from guerrilla remnants and criminal networks.
At the same time, Petro has attributed coca cultivation’s growth largely to rising global demand, particularly in Europe, and has called for reevaluation of international anti-drug strategies.
He has also highlighted American drug abusers’ shift towards fentanyl consumption as a complicating factor in the fight against narcotics. Drug dealers mix fentanyl into various kinds of drugs, including heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamines.
The timing of Trump’s attack on the Bogota’s drug enforcement policies comes as the Latin American country faces significant challenges.
On August 21, 12 police officers were killed when dissidents from the former FARC rebel group downed a helicopter during an anti-coca operation in the country’s northwest.
It also comes amid Bogota’s increasing criticism of the atrocities being conducted by the Israeli regime, a cherished Washington ally, against Palestinians, including those facing Tel Aviv’s October 2023-present war of genocide on the Gaza Strip.