Thursday, March 26, 2026

Latest News

Colombia – Ecuador rift widens over cross-border bombings

By The City Paper Staff -

President Gustavo Petro accused Ecuador on Monday of carrying out bombing raids inside Colombian territory, sharply escalating a diplomatic and trade dispute that has been simmering since January. Petro said “27 charred bodies” have been found near the border and suggested the attacks could not have been carried out by illegal armed groups, though he […]

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Colombia’s Petro claims U.S. “kidnapped” Maduro during Caracas strike

By The City Paper Staff -

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on Tuesday that Nicolás Maduro should be returned to Venezuela to face trial in his home country, calling the U.S. military operation that captured the ousted leader in Caracas earlier this month a “kidnapping” that violated Venezuelan sovereignty. “They have to return him and have him tried by a Venezuelan […]

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Petro–Trump Phone Call Defuses U.S.–Colombia Tensions

By The City Paper Staff -

It was a frustrating night for the roughly 6,000 supporters gathered in Bogotá’s Plaza de Bolívar to hear President Gustavo Petro deliver what many expected to be a fiery, anti-imperialist address. After waiting for hours in cold, rainy conditions, demonstrators waved placards reading “Yankee Go Home,” “Out Trump,” and “Respect Colombia,” anticipating a confrontational speech […]

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Colombia’s Petro Calls Chile’s President-Elect José Kast a “Nazi”

By The City Paper Staff -

Colombia’s president, Gustavo Petro, triggered yet another diplomatic rupture in South America on Sunday after denouncing Chile’s president-elect, José Antonio Kast, as a “Nazi,” rejecting the legitimacy of Chile’s democratic choice and sharply diverging from the cautious language typically observed between regional leaders. Petro’s remarks came within hours of Kast’s decisive victory in Chile’s presidential […]

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Colombia’s FM Snubs Machado’s Nobel Peace Prize After Daring Escape

By The City Paper Staff -

Colombia’s Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio declared Thursday that the Government of President Gustavo Petro is “not in agreement” with the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado – a position that signals how Colombia remains a close ideological ally of one of the hemisphere’s most authoritarian states. In remarks that were […]

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EU Leaders Ditch Santa Marta Summit With U.S. Sanctions on Petro

By Richard Emblin -

The upcoming EU-CELAC summit in Santa Marta, billed as Colombia’s most ambitious diplomatic event in over a decade, is now being reshaped by a cascade of cancellations from European leaders following U.S. sanctions against President Gustavo Petro. What was expected to unite more than 60 heads of state from Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean […]

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Colombian Politicians React to Trump’s Tariff Threat and Aid Suspension

By Richard Emblin -

U.S President Donald Trump triggered a political firestorm in Colombia after announcing on his social media platform – Truth Social – the immediate suspension of all financial aid and imposition of punitive tariffs on Colombian exports. The decision came after he branded President Gustavo Petro an “illegal drug leader.” Trump’s extraordinary statements mark one of […]

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Mass visa revocations strip Petro’s cabinet of access to U.S

By Richard Emblin -

Colombia’s confrontation with Washington escalated after the United States revoked President Gustavo Petro’s visa over incendiary remarks in New York, prompting key ministers to declare they would forfeit their own visas and leaving much of the government without the possibility of entering the United States.

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Petro Implodes U.S-Colombia Relations With Final UN Speech

By Richard Emblin -

Colombian President Gustavo Petro detonated relations with Washington in a blistering UN speech, accusing Donald Trump of genocide, calling for his prosecution, and likening the U.S. to Nazi Germany. The U.S. delegation exited the chamber as Petro urged the world to form an armed coalition to liberate Gaza.

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Maduro Seeks Dialogue with U.S, Petro Sidelined at UN

By Richard Emblin -

Colombia’s Gustavo Petro is in New York ahead of the United Nation’s General Assembly. Petro trip to the U.S comes as Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro seeks to engage the Trump administration in dialogue, despite the military arsenal targeting drug boats in the Caribbean.

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The Shadow of U.S. Certification Looms Over Colombia

By Richard Emblin -

Colombia faces a critical U.S. anti-narcotics certification decision by September 15, testing a security partnership with Washington. Despite record cocaine seizures, coca cultivation has surged, straining ties under President Petro. Defense Minister Sánchez warns decertification would empower illegal armed groups.

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Colombia Accuses Peru of Taking Remote Island on Amazon River

By Richard Emblin -

Colombia has accused Peru of illegally occupying a disputed island on the Amazon River, escalating tensions between the two neighbors. President Gustavo Petro claims Peru violated a 1934 treaty by creating the district of Santa Rosa de Loreto. Peru rejects the claim, asserting full sovereignty over its territory.

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Petro’s ‘Coup’ Allegations Deepen Colombia–U.S. Rift, Resolution Still Elusive

By The City Paper Staff -

Colombia–U.S. relations have reached their lowest point in years after President Gustavo Petro accused U.S. lawmakers of plotting a coup. Washington recalled its top diplomat over “reprehensible” remarks, prompting Bogotá to withdraw its ambassador. Tensions mount as visa sanctions loom and key bilateral cooperation on security and narcotics hangs in balance.

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