Colombia has announced the suspension of electricity exports to Ecuador and imposed a 30% tariff on 20 products imported from its neighboring country, escalating a growing diplomatic and trade dispute between the two nations.
The decision was confirmed on Thursday, one day after Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa declared that his government would introduce a 30% “security charge” on Colombian goods starting February 1. Noboa cited Ecuador’s widening trade deficit with Colombia and what he described as insufficient cooperation in combating drug trafficking.
Colombia, a key electricity supplier to Ecuador, has repeatedly rejected allegations that it is not doing enough to curb drug smuggling across their shared border. Following Ecuador’s announcement, Noboa’s administration clarified that its new security charge would exempt electricity sales and oil logistics services.
In response to Colombia’s tariff decision, Ecuador’s energy minister said that Colombian crude oil transported through Ecuador’s OCP pipeline—the country’s second-largest oil pipeline—would receive “reciprocal treatment” similar to electricity. However, no further details were provided.
According to Ecuador’s central bank, the country recorded a $838 million trade deficit with Colombia during the first 10 months of last year. Meanwhile, Colombia exported goods worth $1.67 billion to Ecuador in the first 11 months of the year, accounting for 3.6% of Colombia’s total exports, data from Colombia’s statistics agency DANE showed.
Colombia Defends Anti-Trafficking Efforts
Colombian President Gustavo Petro strongly defended his country’s role in fighting drug trafficking. Writing on social media platform X on Wednesday, Petro said cooperation with Ecuador’s armed forces remained strong, noting that Colombian authorities had seized more than 200 metric tons of cocaine along the shared border.
“I hope Ecuador has been grateful, when they have needed us, that we have acted energetically in solidarity,” Petro wrote.
Colombia’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry later said the 30% tariff was “proportional, temporary and subject to revision,” describing it as a response aimed at restoring balance in bilateral trade relations. The ministry also emphasized that Colombia remains open to dialogue. However, it did not specify which products would be affected. Colombia’s main imports from Ecuador include fish, vegetable oil and auto parts.
Separately, Colombia’s energy ministry announced it had issued a resolution suspending “international electricity transactions with Ecuador.” The ministry said the move was a precautionary step to ensure domestic energy supply amid climate-related uncertainties, rather than a direct response to Ecuador’s trade measures.
“When adequate technical, energy and commercial conditions are met, exports will be reactivated,” the ministry said.
Colombia’s Energy Minister Edwin Palma had earlier criticized Ecuador’s actions and cancelled a recent initiative that would have allowed private companies to participate in cross-border electricity trading.
Security at the Center of Ecuador’s Policy
President Noboa, a close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, has made the fight against organized crime a central pillar of his administration. Ecuador has declared multiple states of emergency and recently deployed more than 10,000 soldiers nationwide to combat criminal gangs. The government says violent turf wars among splintered gangs drove murder rates up by 30% last year.
The United States has also increased pressure on Colombia and Mexico over drug trafficking. Colombia faced U.S. sanctions last year over accusations of failing to curb cocaine flows—claims President Petro denied. However, tensions eased in January following a phone call between Petro and President Trump.