Colombian President Gustavo Petro pushed back against mounting criticism over his government’s handling of the country’s security crisis, claiming that violence is not spiralling out of control, despite a recent spate of deadly attacks on police and military personnel.
In a nationally televised Cabinet meeting broadcast on Monday evening from the presidential palace, Casa de Nariño, Petro addressed Colombians directly, seeking to downplay what he described as an “exaggerated” perception of chaos and bloodshed.
“We must ask ourselves if we are truly facing a collapse in violence,” said the president, standing at a podium flanked by his ministers and military top brass. “Colombia is a relatively successful country in its process of overcoming violence. The general balance is that, as a society, we have made progress.”
The remarks come in the wake of coordinated attacks that have claimed the lives of 27 members of the security forces in recent weeks, including 19 police officers and eight soldiers. The violence has been largely attributed to the Clan del Golfo — also known as the Gaitanist Self-Defence Forces of Colombia — and dissident factions of the now-defunct FARC guerrilla group. “Today’s violence – less than that of 30 years ago – is increasingly the result of contract killings, and behind contract killings there is an organization, a plan,” stated Petro. ‘We are talking about organizations built to kill”.
In April, the Gulf Clan launched a terror campaign of targeted killings, known as Plan Pistola — a strategy of ambushing security officers both on and off duty. The tactic, dating back to Pablo Escobar’s Medellín cartel, has been revived with deadly precision in regions including Antioquia, Norte de Santander, Cesar and Córdoba.
In response, the Ministry of Defence has issued urgent safety guidelines for police, urging them to travel in civilian clothing, limit social media activity, and avoid nighttime patrols. Defence Minister Pedro Sánchez was absent from the televised meeting, as he was visiting the US Southern Command in Florida.
Petro, Colombia’s first leftist president, took office in August 2022 with a bold “total peace” agenda, aiming to negotiate with all armed groups and dismantle organized crime through dialogue. But the latest wave of violence has raised questions about the feasibility of that strategy, as well as the state’s ability to guarantee security in conflict-affected areas.
During the address, Petro presented a series of charts showing homicide trends since 1990, arguing that killings peaked in the 1990s and have been on a steady decline since 2002. While acknowledging a slight uptick in murders since 2021, he insisted this predated his government and should not be interpreted as a sign of collapse.
He also took aim at his political rivals, accusing former Attorney General Néstor Humberto Martínez of “sabotaging the peace process” and blaming the administration of his conservative predecessor, Iván Duque, for leaving a fragile security legacy.
Yet it was the president’s comments on the international dimension of organized crime that drew particular attention. In a striking remark, Petro declared that “Dubai is the new Miami for drug traffickers”, alleging that Colombian criminal networks are increasingly being directed from abroad.
“Mafias control territory in Colombia, but their leadership is outside the country,” he said. “The profits they generate end up in the United States, Mexico, Europe — and Dubai.”
He described the Emirati city as an “artificial luxury hub” that has become a magnet for transnational crime. To counter this globalised threat, Petro called for a new international policing pact with countries including China, India, and the United Arab Emirates. “There should be a collaborative centre, even involving our own police, to dismantle the mafias that have gone to live in Dubai,” he said.
While Petro’s loyal political base has applauded efforts to contextualise the security data and reaffirm his “total peace” strategy, opposition lawmakers say his administration has failed to respond forcefully enough to the evolving tactics of criminal groups. Human rights organizationshave also warned that the state’s presence remains weak in vulnerable rural areas, where civilians are increasingly caught in the crossfire.
Petro’s public appeal is unlikely to shift the national security narrative as the death toll continues to rise amid the Plan Pistola campaign and suspended peace talks with illegal armed organisations. With mounting internal pressure — including from close allies such as Interior Minister Armando Benedetti, who recently admitted the “total peace process is not going well” — Petro’s pointed remarks about Dubai may also risk diplomatic fallout.
As the Colombian president faces scrutiny both at home and abroad, he must now deliver concrete results in the fight against drug trafficking and organised crime — especially as a crucial “certification” process with Washington hangs in the balance.
