Colombian Foreign Minister Laura Sarabia resigned on Thursday, delivering a blow to President Gustavo Petro’s government and further straining already fragile ties between Bogotá and Washington.
Sarabia, a close Petro confidante and key interlocutor with the United States, stepped down less than seven months into the role. Her resignation comes at a critical moment, with U.S. officials preparing to decide whether to “decertify” Colombia over faltering counternarcotics efforts – a move that could jeopardize military aid and broader bilateral cooperation.
“In recent days, decisions have been made that I do not agree with,” Sarabia wrote on X, citing “personal coherence and institutional respect” as reasons for her departure. She did not specify which decisions prompted her resignation, but insiders say the rupture stemmed from growing tensions within Petro’s inner circle and her diminishing influence on foreign policy.
Sarabia’s exit leaves Colombia without a steady diplomatic hand just as the Petro government faces mounting skepticism in Washington. She had been seen as one of the few remaining officials capable of maintaining a functional dialogue with both the Biden and Trump camps.
Her departure follows months of diplomatic missteps that have unsettled U.S. lawmakers—among them Petro’s public rebuke of U.S. drug policy, overtures to authoritarian regimes, and accusations from Colombian opposition leaders that the president’s allies are working to undermine democratic institutions.
While a contract dispute over Colombian passport printing contributed to the breakdown, observers say the deeper issue was Sarabia’s sidelining in core diplomatic decisions. She had reportedly clashed with Petro and his new chief of staff, evangelical leader Alfredo Saade, over the president’s insistence on terminating the longstanding contract with private firm Thomas Greg & Sons.
Sarabia’s fall from grace reflects the broader volatility within Petro’s administration. She joined the government in August 2022 as chief of staff and went on to hold three top positions, including director of the Social Prosperity Department and head of the presidential administration, before being appointed foreign minister in January 2025. Once seen as Petro’s “right hand,” her influence waned following the return of Interior Minister Armando Benedetti, a controversial figure under investigation for alleged domestic abuse and campaign financing irregularities.
In recent months, Sarabia had been increasingly excluded from key foreign policy decisions. In June, Petro publicly overruled her for congratulating Ecuador’s president-elect, Daniel Noboa – an incident that further weakened her standing.
Replacing Sarabia will not be easy. She is the third foreign minister to exit under Petro, following Álvaro Leyva and Luis Gilberto Murillo, both of whom resigned under clouds of controversy – Leyva over the same passport contract that ultimately pushed Sarabia to the edge.
As Petro searches for a fourth top diplomat, foreign policy analysts warn that Colombia’s international standing may be compromised by an administration increasingly shaped by ideological loyalty rather than strategic vision. Meanwhile, Washington waits for clarity on the future of a once-stable alliance that remains essential to hemispheric security, drug interdiction, and migration cooperation.
Whether Petro can repair the damage and re-establish meaningful engagement with the United States remains uncertain. What is clear, however, is that with Laura Sarabia’s departure, Colombia has lost a critical diplomatic link to its most powerful ally.
