Colombia stops US arms imports amid rift over drug war decertification

Bogota [Colombia], September 17 (ANI): Colombia has suspended arms purchases from the United States, its largest military partner, after Washington accused the South American country of failing to curb cocaine trafficking, Al Jazeera reported.

Interior Minister Armando Benedetti announced the decision on Tuesday (local time), following remarks by President Gustavo Petro, who accused the US of trying to "participate" in Colombia's domestic politics and seeking a "puppet president" ahead of elections next year.

"From this moment on ... weapons will not be purchased from the United States," Benedetti told Blu Radio in an interview.

According to Al Jazeera, US President Donald Trump on Monday decertified Colombia as an ally in the fight against drugs, alleging that the country had allowed cocaine production to rise to "all-time records." Though the move is largely symbolic, it added strain to an already tense alliance, which has faced disputes over deportations of undocumented migrants to Colombia.

Petro, a former leftist fighter, defended his government's anti-narcotics policy in a series of posts on X, insisting that more cocaine had been seized under his watch than by previous administrations. During a ministerial meeting, he declared that Colombia "will not be blackmailed" by the US, adding that he "is not concerned about the US aid."

"We are the ones who help them, because the problem is theirs, not ours," Petro said, suggesting that Colombia's military would reduce reliance on US "handouts."

Al Jazeera reported that US assistance for anti-narcotics operations in Colombia amounts to about $380 million annually. It remains unclear how Trump's delisting will affect these funds.

Responding to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's criticism that he was "erratic" in handling the drug war, Petro retorted that bombing civilian boats in Latin American waters was "truly erratic." He was referring to Trump's order to strike two Venezuelan boats alleged to be operated by drug cartels.

"Most of the cocaine that travels by sea leaves in containers from the ports, and goes on large ships and not in speedboats," Petro wrote on X.

Al Jazeera noted that Petro vowed not to let Colombia "kneel" to US interests or allow coca-growing peasants to be "beaten up." Since taking office in 2022, he has advocated a shift in the US-led war on drugs, focusing on social issues rather than eradication.

Coca cultivation in Colombia has surged by about 70 percent under his presidency, according to government and UN figures. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime reported that the area under coca cultivation nearly tripled to 253,000 hectares by 2023.

Writing on X, Petro attributed the growth to global demand. "The world needs to change its anti-drug policy because it has failed," he said, adding that cocaine use in the US had only stabilised "because they switched en masse to fentanyl consumption, which is 30 times more deadly."

Petro has often clashed with Trump, drawing criticism by rejecting US extradition requests and denouncing Washington's actions against migrants and Venezuela. He also severed diplomatic ties with Israel in 2024 over its war on Gaza. (ANI)

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