Colombia's Petro escalates Ecuador bombing claims, says 27 'charred bodies' found

2026-03-17 - 23:39

Colombian President Gustavo Petro escalated his allegations against neighboring Ecuador on Tuesday, claiming that recent cross-border bombings have left "27 charred bodies" and dismissing Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa's denials as "not credible." The discovery of an unexploded device near the frontier on Monday has triggered a new diplomatic crisis between the South American nations. Petro's accusations "There are 27 charred bodies, and the explanation is not credible," Petro wrote on X. "The bombs are on the ground near families, many of whom have peacefully decided to replace their coca leaf crops with legal crops." Petro asserted that Colombian forces were not involved and that illegal armed groups lack the necessary aviation capabilities to conduct such strikes. Ecuadorian denial Noboa has categorically refuted the accusations, labeling Petro's claims of Ecuadorian airstrikes on Colombian soil as "entirely unfounded." The friction between the two leaders comes as Ecuador intensifies its domestic military operations with US backing, while Colombia has become increasingly isolated regionally. Regional alignment Noboa has emerged as a key regional ally for Washington, while Petro's administration was excluded from the recently formed "Shield of the Americas" military alliance led by President Donald Trump. The differing alignments with the US may be contributing to the tensions. Appeal to Trump Petro confirmed he has reached out to the White House to "take action." "I asked Trump: 'Take action, call the president of Ecuador, because we do not want to go to war,'" Petro told a Cabinet meeting on Monday, seeking US intervention to de-escalate the crisis. Border security response On the ground, Colombian Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez confirmed that specialized security units have been deployed to the border region to secure the area and investigate the site of the alleged explosions. Specialized EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) teams are currently on-site to handle the unexploded device. Minister Sanchez has urged the local population to maintain a 500-meter safety perimeter and to report any suspicious objects to emergency hotlines. Evidence pending As the Colombian government prepares to release a recording it claims corroborates the sounds of multiple explosions, the border remains militarized. The coming days will likely determine whether diplomatic channels can resolve the dispute or if tensions will continue to escalate.