Colombian President Gustavo Petro has ordered his country's security forces to stop sharing intelligence with the United States until President Donald Trump's administration halts its raids on suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean, the Associated Press reported, BTA reports.
In a post on the social network “Ex“ (formerly Twitter), Petro said that the Colombian military must immediately halt all forms of communication and cooperation with U.S. security agencies until Washington stops its attacks on vessels suspected of drug trafficking. Critics of these strikes have called them extrajudicial executions.
The president stressed that “the fight against drugs must be based on respect for the human rights of the inhabitants of the Caribbean“. The AP notes that it is not clear how much information Colombia will stop providing to the United States.
According to the Trump administration, at least 75 people have been killed in strikes carried out by the US military in international waters since August. The operations, which began in the southern Caribbean, have already expanded to the eastern Pacific Ocean, where the US has attacked boats near Mexico.
Petro called for Donald Trump to be investigated for war crimes, as the strikes have affected citizens of Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia and Trinidad and Tobago. In October, the Trump administration imposed financial sanctions on Petro and members of his family, accusing them of participating in international drug trafficking.
“Petro has allowed drug cartels to flourish and refused to stop doing so,“ Treasury Secretary Scott Besant said after the sanctions were imposed on Oct. 24. “President Trump is taking decisive action to protect our nation and is making it clear that we will not tolerate drug trafficking,” he added.
The Associated Press notes that the White House has not commented publicly on Petro's recent statements.