VILLAGARZÓN: Colombian Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez has declared his country “absolutely committed” to combating drug trafficking as the United States considers blacklisting the nation for failing to curb cocaine exports.
The Trump administration must decide by September 15 whether to decertify Colombia as an ally in the drug battle, potentially jeopardising nearly 500 million dollars in US funding against cartels and guerrillas.
This decision coincides with a major US military buildup in the Caribbean as part of Trump’s intensified war on cartels, which recently included destroying a suspected Venezuelan drug vessel with 11 people aboard.
Sanchez described US certification as “a symbol of cooperation, of alliance, of trust” between Washington and Bogota during a visit to a coca eradication program on Colombia’s Ecuador border.
He emphasised that US military assistance remains crucial for Colombia to “act more forcefully” against traffickers, warning that decertification would mean “illegal players win and nations lose.”
Leftist President Gustavo Petro has pursued a paradigm shift since 2022 away from traditional drug war approaches toward addressing underlying social problems driving trafficking.
Coca cultivation has increased by approximately 70% since 2022 according to Colombian government and United Nations estimates despite these policy changes.
Sanchez maintained that the government had “given absolutely everything” to the anti-drug fight while reaffirming “there is absolute commitment here.”
Potential US decertification would severely impact Colombia’s military and police forces already struggling against intensified guerrilla attacks.
Breakaway FARC rebels shot down a police helicopter during a coca eradication operation on August 21, killing 12 officers in the country’s northwest region.
A truck bomb detonated on a busy street near a military aviation school in Cali the same day, resulting in six fatalities amid escalating violence.
Sanchez characterised the violence surge as a response to government anti-trafficking efforts, comparing the crackdown to chemotherapy fighting cancer.
Many officials fear the US decision may go against Colombia following January’s heated exchange between Trump and Petro over migrant deportations.
Petro dispatched Colombian planes to repatriate migrants after Trump threatened sanctions against the South American nation. – AFP