Colombian President Gustavo Petro has condemned U.S. military operations against vessels in the Caribbean, which have resulted in dozens of deaths and heightened tensions in the region.

Petro described the U.S. actions as extrajudicial executions and a violation of international humanitarian law, even if those on board the vessels were carrying narcotics.

Elected in 2022 as Colombia’s first left-wing president, Petro was previously a member of the M-19 guerrilla group, later serving as a congressman and Mayor of Bogotá. Since taking office, he has revitalised diplomatic relations with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and strengthened ties with other regional left-leaning leaders, including Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Chile’s Gabriel Boric, and Mexico’s Claudia Sheinbaum.

U.S. sanctions

On Friday, 24 October, the U.S. imposed sanctions on President Petro, accusing him of failing to halt the flow of cocaine from Colombia to the United States. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said: “Since President Gustavo Petro came to power, cocaine production in Colombia has reached the highest level in decades, flooding the U.S. and harming Americans.”

Petro responded on X , stating that he has fought drug trafficking for decades and that the sanctions will not force him to step back.

The sanctions also target Petro’s wife, son, and Colombia’s Interior Minister Armando Benedetti. Last weekend, former President Trump threatened to raise tariffs on Colombia and announced that all U.S. funding to the country had been suspended.

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