Colombia Hits Ecuador With 100% Tariffs
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- Colombia's Ministry of Commerce imposed 100% tariffs on Ecuadorean imports on April 11, 2026, one day after Ecuador raised tariffs on Colombian goods from 50% to 100%.
- President Gustavo Petro recalled Colombia's ambassador and posted on X that some materials essential to Colombian industrial production would carry a "zero percent tariff."
- Commerce Minister Diana Morales declared "We have exhausted all diplomatic efforts" as bilateral talks convened the same day.
- The Andean Community of Nations (CAN), whose members include Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador, hosted Friday's dialogue after Petro threatened to pull Colombia out of the bloc.
- The feud traces to Ecuador's right-wing President Daniel Noboa accusing leftist Petro of failing to combat drug trafficking and illegal mining along their shared border, with Colombia's reciprocal tariffs climbing from 30% to 100% since the start of 2026.
- About 70% of cocaine produced in Colombia and Peru transits Ecuador for export via its Pacific ports, highlighting the narco-trafficking stakes of the standoff.
Why it matters: Colombia's tariff salvo strikes bilateral trade in electricity, medicines, vehicles, cosmetics, and plastics, while Petro's threat to exit the Andean Community of Nations could fracture Andean economic integration. With roughly 70% of Colombia-Peru cocaine transiting Ecuador's Pacific ports, prolonged hostility also jeopardizes regional counter-narcotics coordination.
