Colombian President to sue Ecuador’s Noboa over defamation claims

Colombian President Gustavo Petro plans to sue Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa for defamation over claims linking him to organised crime figures.

The row intensified after Noboa claimed in an interview that Petro had met members of Ecuador’s Citizen Revolution movement during a private visit to the port city of Manta, coinciding with Petro’s attendance at Noboa’s inauguration in 2025, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

Noboa alleged that some of those individuals “have links to Fito”, referring to José Adolfo Macías, the leader of the Los Choneros criminal organisation, which authorities say has connections to Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel.

Petro strongly rejected the claims, saying he would take legal action for “calumny”. He has also accused Noboa of making unfounded accusations as tensions rise between the two neighbouring countries.

The dispute comes amid broader diplomatic strain between Bogotá and Quito, including disagreements over cooperation on combating drug trafficking along their shared border.

Relations have deteriorated further in recent months, with both sides recalling ambassadors following political exchanges involving high-profile corruption and political cases in Ecuador.

Noboa, meanwhile, has criticised Petro’s stance on regional security cooperation, arguing that efforts to counter narcotics trafficking require closer coordination.

By Aghakazim Guliyev