By Alexandra Valencia
QUITO/BOGOTA, April 9 (Reuters) – Ecuador’s government on Thursday said it was raising tariffs on imports from its larger neighbor Colombia to 100% from a prior level of 50%, citing Colombia’s alleged failure to implement border security measures.
“After confirming Colombia’s failure to implement concrete and effective border security measures, Ecuador is compelled to take sovereign action,” the government said in a statement.
Ecuador said the tariffs would take effect from May 1.
The South American country had late February raised tariffs to 50%, up from a level of 30% it first imposed at the end of January. It has justified the measures by saying Colombia is not doing enough to fight drug trafficking near the shared border.
Colombia did not immediately announce reciprocal measures but top officials blasted the latest measures on social media.
“This is simply a monstrosity,” Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on X, adding that it suggested trade agreements in the Andean region had lost their value, and his foreign minister should move for greater integration with Central America, the Caribbean and South America’s Mercosur bloc.
‘A CLEAR AGGRESSION’
Petro’s energy minister Edwin Palma added that Ecuador’s decision to again raise the tariffs marked “a clear aggression against brotherly peoples who have historically walked together.”
“Amid a complex energy situation, with power cuts already affecting millions of Ecuadoreans, it is even more concerning that President Daniel Noboa opts for confrontation and acts with arrogance, rather than advancing toward shared solutions that ensure energy security for the region,” he said in a post on X.
Colombia has repeatedly rejected these accusations and noted that it runs regular joint counter-narcotics operations together with Ecuadorean security forces. Its government has levied reciprocal tariffs on some Ecuadorean goods.
Bogota has also halted energy sales to Ecuador, a key export for Ecuador during droughts when hydroelectric dams dry up. Ecuador also imports significant quantities of medicines and pesticides from the neighboring country.
Ecuador’s government has previously cited a trade deficit as a reason for the tariffs.
The announcement follows tensions over a possible border violation last month. Colombian officials said 14 people were killed near the border after Ecuador conducted a security operation and its explosives ended up in Colombian territory.
Ecuador said at the time it had conducted a legitimate operation in its own territory, and was working to establish why the explosives appeared in Colombia.
Other tensions include a diplomatic spat over former Ecuadorean vice president Jorge Glas, who was jailed in Ecuador over corruption charges. Petro has said Glas is a political prisoner and should be freed.
Ecuador recalled its ambassador to Colombia over Petro’s comments and has suspended working groups scheduled for next week over trade, energy and security cooperation.
(Reporting by Alexandra Valencia in Quito, Nelson Bocanegra in Bogota and Iñigo Alexander in Mexico City; Writing by sarah Morland; Editing by Daina Beth Solomon and Stephen Coates)
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