US President Donald Trump on Monday designated Afghanistan, Bolivia, Burma (Myanmar), Colombia and Venezuela as countries that have “failed demonstrably” to meet their international obligations in the fight against narcotics over the past 12 months. The move, announced in a presidential determination, could affect the flow of US funding to the named countries.
“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,” Trump said in his declaration.
While praising Colombian security forces for their “courage and skill,” Trump stressed that responsibility for the failure rests with the country’s political leadership. He also hinted that Colombia’s designation could change if its government takes “more aggressive action” to curb cocaine production and trafficking.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro lamented the decision, pointing out that the country has suffered heavy sacrifices in the fight against drug cartels and insurgent groups linked to trafficking. “The United States is decertifying us after dozens of deaths of police officers and soldiers,” Petro said during a cabinet meeting.
Colombia’s ambassador to Washington, Daniel Garcia-Pena, warned last week that US support had already been affected by the dismantling of USAID. He added that around $100 million in non-drug-related programmes could be cut if Colombia is formally decertified.
The last time the US placed Colombia on the list was in 1997, when drug cartels had deeply infiltrated the state. Since 2000, Washington has sent billions of dollars in aid to Bogotá, but cooperation began to unravel after a programme to spray coca fields with glyphosate was suspended more than a decade ago.
Under US law, the president must annually identify countries that have failed to meet counternarcotics obligations, a measure that can carry serious diplomatic and financial consequences.
