Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro walked back his threat to stop sharing intelligence with US security agencies after a storm of criticism.
In a post on social media platform X, Petro said Wednesday that the intelligence community, “including US agencies,” will have access to “communication that guarantees that it will be used for seizures without undermining human rights.”
Any communication that guarantees that it will be used for seizures without undermining human rights and that will lead to arrests with protection of life, without risking lives, will be used by the intelligence community… without prejudice to any agency, including US agencies.
President Gustavo Petro
Interior Minister Armando Benedetti said Thursday that “there has been a misinterpretation by the Colombian press and some high-ranking government officials” of Petro, who on Tuesday said that “all levels of intelligence of the public force” will “suspend the sending of communications and other treaties with US security agencies.”
Colombia suspends intelligence sharing with US over strikes on Caribbean boats
According to Benedetti, “Petro has never said that the American control agencies FBI, DEA, HSI will stop working in Colombia alongside our intelligence agencies DIPOL, DIJIN, CTI.”
“We will continue to work as we have with the United States against drug trafficking and crime,” Benedetti added.
Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez said on social media platform X that the president instructed to “maintain, as we have been doing, a continuous flow of information with international agencies.
President Gustavo Petro has given clear instructions to maintain, as we have been doing, a continuous flow of information with international agencies to combat drug trafficking, always ensuring respect for human rights and strict observance of the protocols of international agreements and treaties.
Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez
Petro initially ordered the suspension of intelligence sharing over the drone strikes that have killed more than 70 people in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean.
The president has accused the US Government of using its so-called “War on Drugs” to control over Latin America rather than to combat drug trafficking.
