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The president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, accused his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, this Wednesday of having promoted a supposed incursion of Colombian guerrillas across the northern border of Ecuador, in a claim that intensifies the diplomatic crisis between the two countries.
"Several sources have informed us of an incursion by Colombian guerrillas across the northern border, driven by Petro's government," Noboa wrote on the social network X, without providing details about the exact location of the alleged incursion or presenting concrete evidence.
The Ecuadorian president was direct in his message to his counterpart: "President Petro, focus on improving the lives of your people instead of trying to export problems to neighboring countries."
Petro immediately responded by denying the accusations and labeling them as "lies."
"Go to the northern border and meet me there, and we will build peace in those territories; stop believing lies," replied the Colombian president on the same digital platform, proposing a meeting in the common border area.
The exchange of accusations occurs amid an unprecedented escalation between both governments, which includes a trade war that has escalated to reach tariffs of 100% on Colombian products, set to take effect on May 1, along with other economic sanctions.
Noboa initiated the trade war in February, arguing that Colombia is not doing enough to curb the flow of cocaine and criminal organizations into Ecuador, the country with the highest homicide rate in Latin America, recording over 50 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants per year.
In early March, the Ecuadorian Armed Forces began bombing camps of criminal gangs in the border area with support from the United States. During the military offensive, they dismantled a camp belonging to the Border Commandos in Sucumbíos, utilizing American weaponry and intelligence.
One of the bombs was found—undetonated—by Colombian authorities 200 meters from the Colombian side in Putumayo, in an incident that heightened tensions even further, but was ultimately dismissed as a threat after it was determined that the device had rolled over from Ecuador without detonating.
Los Comandos de la Frontera is one of the dissident groups of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) that control the production and trafficking of drugs from Colombian Putumayo to Sucumbíos in Ecuador, and has been designated a terrorist organization by the Noboa government.
The tension between the two leaders has also intensified due to personal accusations. Noboa indicated that Petro may have had connections with the drug trafficker José Adolfo Macías Villamar, alias "Fito", leader of Los Choneros, during his visit to the coastal city of Manta in 2025, after attending the inauguration of the Ecuadorian president in Quito.
Petro has categorically denied such an assertion. In response, on April 19, he announced that he will file criminal charges against Noboa for defamation.
In addition, Petro has repeatedly pressed for the release of former correista vice president Jorge Glas, who is serving two sentences for corruption and was recaptured by Noboa during an assault on the Mexican Embassy in Quito, in 2024.
In March, the United States excluded Colombia from the so-called "Shield of the Americas", an anti-drug initiative of the Trump administration, citing the lack of cooperation from Petro's government.
Meanwhile, the government of Ecuador announced a new nighttime curfew from May 3 to May 18 in nine provinces and four municipalities, in an effort to intensify the fight against organized crime, which has left the country at an unprecedented level of violence. Among the areas where the measure will be implemented are Esmeraldas and Sucumbíos, border provinces with Colombia where the presence of illegal armed groups is concentrated.
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