Colombian President Gustavo Petro has leveled serious accusations against the United States, calling a recent strike on a boat in Colombian waters an act of “murder” and a violation of his country’s sovereignty. The incident, which took place in September, reportedly claimed the life of a Colombian fisherman.
In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), President Petro detailed that the Colombian vessel was adrift and had activated its distress signal due to an engine malfunction when it was targeted. He expressed his expectation for an explanation from the US government regarding the event.
The remarks come in the wake of a separate statement by President Donald Trump, who claimed that US forces had struck a “drug-carrying submarine” on Thursday, resulting in two fatalities. Trump asserted that US intelligence confirmed the vessel was laden with Fentanyl and other illicit narcotics. This marks the sixth US strike on vessels in the Caribbean Sea in recent weeks, and the first reported incident with survivors.
Petro had previously commented on an earlier strike in September, stating that “US government officials have committed a murder and violated our sovereignty in territorial waters.” He specifically identified the victim as fisherman Alejandro Carranza, asserting that Carranza had no ties to the drug trade and was merely fishing when the incident occurred.
While President Trump has defended these maritime actions as necessary to curb drug trafficking from Latin America into the US, his administration has yet to provide concrete evidence or specific details regarding the vessels or their occupants. Meanwhile, United Nations-appointed human rights experts have characterized these US strikes as potential “extrajudicial executions.”
The circumstances surrounding these strikes, particularly the lack of transparency and the civilian casualties, have intensified diplomatic tensions and raised significant human rights concerns.