United States Revokes Colombia's Designation as Ally in Anti-Drug Campaign
In a significant move, the United States has decertified Colombia as an ally in the fight against drugs. This decision, announced on September 15, comes as a result of Colombia's failure to curb cocaine production and meet its own reduced coca eradication goals.
Since President Gustavo Petro took office in 2022, his government has implemented various measures aimed at addressing the drug issue. These include reducing aerial fumigation with herbicides, promoting alternative development programs for coca farmers, increasing manual eradication efforts, enhancing intelligence and security operations against drug trafficking organizations, and strengthening international cooperation to meet requirements for reestablishing investigations by the U.S. administration in 2023.
However, these efforts have not been enough to meet the U.S. standards. According to a signed determination, coca eradication goals in Colombia were not met, leading to the decertification.
The decertification undermines years of mutually beneficial cooperation between the United States and Colombia against drug cartels. The U.S. annual assistance for Colombia's anti-narcotics efforts was $380 million, but is now in jeopardy due to decertification. The decertification could result in Colombia losing hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. military support.
President Donald Trump criticized President Petro for overseeing the surge in cocaine production. Colombian government and United Nations estimates show a 70% increase in coca cultivation since 2022, with cocaine production reaching record highs.
In response, Petro's cabinet confirmed the U.S. decertification, citing dozens of deaths of police officers and soldiers in the fight against drug cartels and leftist guerrillas. However, Petro's government is addressing the social problems fueling drug trafficking as part of its strategy to combat drug cartels and guerrillas.
President Gustavo Petro has championed a shift in the U.S.-led war on drugs to focus on social problems fueling drug trafficking. His administration is pursuing a different approach to the war on drugs compared to previous administrations, emphasising on eradicating the root causes of drug trafficking rather than just the plants themselves.
This decertification marks a significant turning point in the relationship between the United States and Colombia in the fight against drugs. Both countries will need to navigate this challenging situation to ensure continued cooperation and progress in the future.
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