US, Colombia vow joint fight against cocaine-smuggling guerillas
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US President Donald Trump (left) and Colombian President Gustavo Petro held their first phone call on Jan 7.
PHOTOS: AFP, NYTIMES
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- Petro and Trump agreed to "joint action" against Colombian ELN guerrillas operating on the Venezuelan border.
- Colombia accuses the ELN of attacks and using Venezuela as a rear base; Petro seeks US help to "strike hard".
- Despite recent tensions, Petro accepted Trump's invitation to Washington for talks on security cooperation.
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BOGOTA – Colombia’s leftist President Gustavo Petro agreed with his US counterpart Donald Trump to take “joint action” against cocaine-smuggling guerillas on the border with Venezuela, Bogota’s Interior Minister said on Jan 8.
The two leaders held their first phone call on Jan 7, de-escalating tensions after Mr Trump had threatened military action against Colombia following the ouster of Venezuela’s leftist leader, Nicolas Maduro, by US forces.
Mr Trump and Mr Petro “committed to taking joint actions” against the National Liberation Army (ELN), Colombia’s last remaining major armed rebel group, Interior Minister Armando Benedetti said in an interview with Blu Radio.
Colombia accuses the ELN of launching attacks and kidnapping Colombian soldiers and retreating to rear-base locations in Venezuela.
Mr Petro asked Mr Trump “to help strike hard at the ELN on the border” with Venezuela, Mr Benedetti said.
He said the guerillas must “be attacked in their rear” as well as on Colombian soil.
Colombia and Venezuela share a porous 2,200km border, where various armed groups vie for control of the profits from drug trafficking, illegal mining and smuggling.
Mr Petro tried to negotiate a peace settlement with the ELN after coming to power in 2022, but his attempts stalled.
He accepted Mr Trump’s invitation to meet in Washington, despite fierce exchanges over recent days in which Mr Trump branded Mr Petro a drug-trafficker and the Colombian leader vowed to take up arms against any US assault.
After Mr Petro criticised the United States for seizing Maduro in Caracas on Jan 3, Mr Trump told Mr Petro to “watch his a**”.
Washington and Bogota have enjoyed security cooperation for decades, but ties have deteriorated since Mr Trump began his second term in January 2025. AFP
