US President Donald Trump has said in a determination that Afghanistan, Bolivia, Burma (Myanmar), Colombia and Venezuela were to be added to a list of countries that the United States believes have "failed demonstrably" to uphold their obligations under counternarcotics agreements during the past 12 months, a decision that could affect funding for the named countries.
"I hereby designate Afghanistan, Bolivia, Burma, Colombia, and Venezuela as having failed demonstrably during the previous 12 months to both adhere to their obligations under international counternarcotics agreements," Trump's declaration read on Monday.
"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's declaration said, though he thanked Colombian security personnel for their "courage and skill."
"The failure of Colombia to meet its drug control obligations over the past year rests solely with its political leadership. I will consider changing this designation if Colombia's government takes more aggressive action to eradicate coca and reduce cocaine production and trafficking," the declaration added.
Trump had previously threatened to "decertify" Petro's drug containment efforts as ineffective, and Republican lawmakers have expressed support for sharp cuts to non-military aid for the country.
Petro's response
Colombian President Gustavo lamented the decision in a video message, which he said came after dozens of deaths of Colombian police, soldiers and civilians fighting to stop trafficking.
"The United States is decertifying us after dozens of deaths of police officers and soldiers" in the fight against drug cartels and leftist guerrillas funded by drug trafficking, the president told a cabinet meeting.
Colombia's ambassador to Washington, Daniel Garcia-Pena, told reporters last week that funding from the US had already been hit by the dismantling of USAID and that the US could choose to cut about $100 million of programmes not focused on drug trafficking if Trump decides to decertify Colombia.
The US last added Colombia to the list in 1997 when the country's cartels had infiltrated the highest levels of power. Since 2000, successive US administrations have sent billions of dollars in aid to Colombia, but the cooperation began to unravel a decade ago when a programme to spray coca fields with glyphosate was suspended.
Under US law, the president annually must identify countries that have failed to meet obligations under international counternarcotics agreements during the previous 12 months.
