US says Afghanistan and Colombia failed to fight drug trafficking

BOGOTA – US President Donald Trump said in a determination on Sept 15 that Afghanistan, Bolivia, Myanmar, Colombia and Venezuela were to be added to a list of countries that the US believes have “failed demonstrably” to uphold their obligations under counter-narcotics agreements in the past 12 months, a decision that could affect their funding.

“I hereby designate Afghanistan, Bolivia, Myanmar, Colombia and Venezuela as having failed demonstrably during the previous 12 months to both adhere to their obligations under international counter-narcotics agreements,” Mr Trump’s declaration read.

“In Colombia, coca cultivation and cocaine production have surged to all-time records under President Gustavo Petro, and his failed attempts to seek accommodations with narco-terrorist groups only exacerbated the crisis,” the declaration said, though Mr Trump thanked Colombian security personnel for their “courage and skill”.

“The failure of Colombia to meet its drug control obligations over the past year rests solely with its political leadership. I will consider changing this designation if Colombia’s government takes more aggressive action to eradicate coca and reduce cocaine production and trafficking.”

Mr Trump previously threatened to “decertify” Mr Petro’s drug containment efforts as ineffective, and Republican lawmakers have expressed support for sharp cuts to non-military aid for the country.

Mr Petro lamented the decision in a video message, which he said came after dozens of deaths among Colombian police, soldiers and civilians fighting to stop trafficking.   

“What we are doing does not really have to do with the Colombian people,” he said.

“Rather, it is to stop American society from getting their noses dirty from the desire to work, work, work,” he said, in an apparent reference to the stimulant effects of cocaine.

Colombia’s Ambassador to Washington Daniel Garcia-Pena told reporters last week that funding from the US had already been hit by the dismantling of USAid and that the US could choose to cut about US$100 million (S$128 million) in programmes not focused on drug trafficking if Mr Trump decides to decertify Colombia. REUTERS