LatinNews Daily - 22 September 2025

Colombia: On 15 September the US government led by President Donald Trump designated Colombia as having failed demonstrably to meet its drug control obligations, decertifying it as a counter-narcotics ally. Under the amended 1961 Foreign Assistance Act, the US government is required to withhold 50% of aid to countries deemed to be non-cooperative in counter-narcotics. However the next day, the US Department of State announced that President Trump had issued a waiver so "critical US cooperation on counter-narcotics can continue". According to the US presidential determination submitted to congress announcing the decision to decertify Colombia as a counter-narcotics ally, in Colombia “coca cultivation and cocaine production have surged to all-time records under President Gustavo Petro, and his failed attempts to seek accommodations with narco-terrorist groups only exacerbated the crisis”. Claiming that Colombia’s failure to meet these obligations over the past year “rests solely with its political leadership” the presidential determination notes that it may be changed if “Colombia’s government takes more aggressive action to eradicate coca and reduce cocaine production and trafficking, as well as hold those producing, trafficking, and benefiting from the production of cocaine responsible, including through improved cooperation with the United States to bring the leaders of Colombian criminal organizations to justice”.

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