Ecuador denies Petro’s accusations and says Colombia is home to a drug trafficker’s family

In return, he accused the neighboring country of sheltering the family of drug trafficker and organized crime boss José Adolfo Macías Villamar, alias “Fito”, as well as former presidential candidate Luisa González, a member of the Correísta movement.

In a message on social media, the Ecuadorian president responded to accusations made on Monday by Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who stated during a meeting with his ministers that Colombian territory was being bombed from Ecuador.

“President Petro, your statements are false; we are acting in our territory, not yours”, declared Noboa, stating that, with international cooperation, they are “bombing the places that served as hiding places for these groups, mostly Colombians that your own government allowed to infiltrate our country due to negligence on its border”.

Since Sunday night, a nighttime curfew has been in effect in four Ecuadorian provinces to intensify operations in the war Noboa declared against organized crime more than two years ago, which apparently includes bombings and the use of explosives against homes and properties allegedly used by criminal organizations.

Simultaneously, large-scale offensives were launched against illegal mining in border areas with Colombia and Peru, including launching missile batteries from military trucks.

“We will not back down. While in Colombia they give space to the family of ‘Fito’, who crossed the border during the national curfew, coincidentally at the same time as former presidential candidate Luisa González, we will continue to clean up and rebuild Ecuador,” said Noboa.

Countries in crisis

Currently, Colombia and Ecuador are involved in a trade war initiated by Noboa, which accused Colombia of failing to commit to monitoring the shared border and allowing large quantities of cocaine to reach Ecuador, which has become a key point on international drug trafficking routes, leading to an unprecedented crisis of criminal violence in the country.

Increased trade sanctions have led both countries to impose tariffs of up to 50% on each other. Colombia suspended the supply of electricity to Ecuador, crucial to its energy system in times of scarcity, and Ecuador increased the price of transporting crude oil from Colombian state-owned company Ecopetrol through Ecuadorian pipelines from three to thirty dollars.

In this context, during the Colombian government’s Council of Ministers meeting held on Monday, Petro commented that “a bomb dropped from a plane was found.”

“The methods will be thoroughly investigated, very close to the border with Ecuador, which in a way confirms my suspicion, but it is necessary to investigate in depth, because we are being bombed from Ecuador and it is not the armed groups,” he stated.