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Ecuador President Daniel Noboa denied allegations Tuesday that his government bombed targets on Colombia’s side of the border, rejecting the claim as tensions deepened between the two neighboring South American countries. Noboa said on X that his government “is fighting narco terrorism in all its forms” and “bombing places that serve as hideouts for those groups, of which many are Colombian,” adding that those strikes took place only within Ecuadorian territory.
Noboa’s comments came in response to Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who on Monday accused Ecuador of carrying out bombing operations inside Colombia. Petro said a bomb was found by Colombian officials but provided no evidence to support the accusation, and he said he had asked U.S. President Donald Trump to call Noboa and persuade him to stop the alleged actions in Colombian territory.
On Tuesday, Colombia’s state-owned broadcaster RTVC published photos of what it said was an unexploded bomb found in a coca field near the border with Ecuador. The publication of those images increased pressure on both governments as they argued over whether Ecuador conducted cross-border strikes and whether the material found by Colombian officials could substantiate Petro’s claims.
In a separate effort to calm the situation, the bishops of the border cities of Ipiales in Colombia and Tulcan in Ecuador urged both governments to strengthen dialogue and cooperation. In a statement, they said they were worried about the expansion of illicit activities that they said deteriorate the social fabric and cause damage to the environment, and they urged action to address border problems including drug trafficking.
The diplomatic dispute comes as relations between Colombia and Ecuador—once close commercial and security partners—have deteriorated. The friction also unfolds as Colombia prepares for presidential elections in May, when the border security and rebel-conflict issues are likely to remain politically salient.
The escalation has also followed a broader policy conflict that began earlier this year. In January, Noboa imposed a 30% tariff on Colombian imports that he later raised to 50%, framing the measures as a “security tax.” Noboa said the tariffs would not be lifted until Colombia took firmer action against criminal groups and against drug traffickers and rebel groups that he said cross into Ecuador.
Colombia responded to Ecuador’s tariff increases by imposing its own duties on Ecuadorian goods. Petro has also publicly disputed accusations that his government is failing to act against drug traffickers shipping Colombian cocaine out of Ecuadorian ports.
Noboa, a conservative, has faced difficulty reducing drug-related violence in Ecuador, where the homicide rate has quintupled over the past five years, according to the account in the report. The government has also imposed a nightly curfew in four provinces as part of its efforts to combat crime.
The dispute has unfolded amid ongoing counterdrug and anti-rebel actions. The report said Ecuador recently carried out a joint operation with U.S. forces against a drug traffickers camp near the border with Colombia, where drones, helicopters and river boats were deployed. Petro, who was once a member of a rebel group, has pursued peace talks with Colombia’s remaining rebel groups under a strategy described as “total peace,” while critics argue that ceasefires have helped those groups strengthen their control over rural areas.