Colombian President Gustavo Petro, proposed a meeting with his Ecuadorian counterpart, Daniel Noboa, at their shared border, responding to allegations that his government had facilitated guerrilla incursion into Ecuador.Petro wrote on social media, “Go to the northern border and meet me, and let us build peace in those territories. Stop believing lies.”This proposal was in response to Noboa’s claim that “several sources” had informed him “of an incursion by Colombian guerrillas across the northern border, driven by Petro’s government.”Vaya usted a la frontera norte y se encuentra conmigo y construímos la paz de esos territorios, deje de creer mentiras. https://t.co/AHHUPNgqfl— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) April 29, 2026This incident is the latest in a series of disagreements that have caused the deterioration of the relationship between the two countries. The situation started with the imposition of tariffs by Ecuador on imported Colombian products, under the pretext that Petro’s government was not cooperating enough in terms of security along the common 586-kilometer border.In February, the Ecuadorian government declared that an initial 30% tariff would be applied to a series of Colombian products. This measure was gradually expanded to reach 100% of tariffs on many goods, effective May 1.The Ecuadorian government justified the measure by citing the need to protect its national production and by questioning Colombia’s supposed non-cooperation to secure the border area, where several dissident groups of the former armed guerrilla organization, Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia(FARC), and drug-trafficking gangs operate.Crisis in the Andes: Ecuador and Colombia Recall Ambassadors and Trade InsultsColombia expressed its disapproval of these measures, considering them harmful to the existing trade agreements of the Andean Community, and has analyzed diplomatic and commercial measures, including resorting to dispute resolution systems and strengthening import controls. Despite initially reacting with retaliatory tarifArfs, Colombia has not increased them to 100% for Ecuadorian products.Tensions have increased due to mutual accusations on various issues. Colombia exited the Andean Community, citing Ecuador’s aggressive tariffs. Moreover, a few weeks ago, both governments summoned their ambassadors for consultations. Featured image: already there(Diario VEA)Translation: Orinoco TribuneOT/SC/