Colombia stops US arms imports amid rift over drug war decertification

Colombia has suspended arms purchases from the United States its largest military partner after Washington accused the South American country of failing to curb cocaine trafficking Al Jazeera reportedInterior Minister Armando Benedetti announced the decision on Tuesday local time following remarks by President Gustavo Petro who accused the US of trying to participate in Colombias domestic politics and seeking a puppet president ahead of elections next yearFrom this moment on weapons will not be purchased from the United States Benedetti told Blu Radio in an interviewAccording to Al Jazeera US President Donald Trump on Monday decertified Colombia as an ally in the fight against drugs alleging that the country had allowed cocaine production to rise to alltime records Though the move is largely symbolic it added strain to an already tense alliance which has faced disputes over deportations of undocumented migrants to ColombiaPetro a former leftist fighter defended his governments antinarcotics policy in a series of posts on X insisting that more cocaine had been seized under his watch than by previous administrations During a ministerial meeting he declared that Colombia will not be blackmailed by the US adding that he is not concerned about the US aidWe are the ones who help them because the problem is theirs not ours Petro said suggesting that Colombias military would reduce reliance on US handoutsAl Jazeera reported that US assistance for antinarcotics operations in Colombia amounts to about 380 million annually It remains unclear how Trumps delisting will affect these fundsResponding to US Secretary of State Marco Rubios criticism that he was erratic in handling the drug war Petro retorted that bombing civilian boats in Latin American waters was truly erratic He was referring to Trumps order to strike two Venezuelan boats alleged to be operated by drug cartelsMost of the cocaine that travels by sea leaves in containers from the ports and goes on large ships and not in speedboats Petro wrote on XAl Jazeera noted that Petro vowed not to let Colombia kneel to US interests or allow cocagrowing peasants to be beaten up Since taking office in 2022 he has advocated a shift in the USled war on drugs focusing on social issues rather than eradicationCoca cultivation in Colombia has surged by about 70 percent under his presidency according to government and UN figures The UN Office on Drugs and Crime reported that the area under coca cultivation nearly tripled to 253000 hectares by 2023Writing on X Petro attributed the growth to global demand The world needs to change its antidrug policy because it has failed he said adding that cocaine use in the US had only stabilised because they switched en masse to fentanyl consumption which is 30 times more deadlyPetro has often clashed with Trump drawing criticism by rejecting US extradition requests and denouncing Washingtons actions against migrants and Venezuela He also severed diplomatic ties with Israel in 2024 over its war on GazaThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever