Colombian President Gustavo Petro accused Ecuador on Monday of bombing an area near the country’s border, adding that he was awaiting investigation results to avoid “going to war.”
The South American neighbors have been locked in a trade dispute since February after Ecuadoran leader Daniel Noboa, a staunch ally of US President Donald Trump, accused Petro of not doing enough to combat drug trafficking along the border.
“They are bombing us from Ecuador,” Petro said during a televised meeting with his ministers, asserting that his government has evidence of an aircraft dropping a “bomb” in Colombian territory.
The leftist leader said he had asked Trump to “take action” in response to the alleged bombing.
“I asked him to call the president of Ecuador because we don’t want to go to war,” Petro said, without saying when he made the request.
The Colombian president did not specify when the alleged attack took place, saying that it is being investigated so that “decisions can be made.”
Ecuador on Sunday began two weeks of operations against drug traffickers with support from the United States, the latest joint show of force against drug cartels in the South American country.
Trump launched a 17-country cartel-fighting alliance this month which includes Ecuador but not Colombia.
Around 70 percent of the drugs produced by Colombia and Peru, the world’s largest and second-largest cocaine producers, respectively, are shipped through neighboring Ecuador.
Long vilified by Trump, Petro has tried to mend fences with Washington and was received at the White House last month.
