U.S.-Colombia Relations

1903 U.S. Backs Panama’s Secession From Colombia A 1903 cartoon depicts the United States’ construction of the Panama Canal, led by President Theodore Roosevelt.  Residents of Panama, then a state of Colombia, launch a revolt against the central government after it refuses to grant the United States permission to build a canal over a six-mile-wide zone on the Panama Isthmus. The decision angers Panamanians, who would benefit from the revenue generated by a canal. U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt dispatches the gunboat USS  Nashville  to prevent Colombian troops from responding to the Panamanian rebellion. Washington soon recognizes Panama’s independence, and in 1904, the two countries ratify the Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty, which gives the United States exclusive rights to the canal. In 1922, Colombia formally recognizes Panama after the U.S. government pays $25 million in compensation. 1928 December 1928 Hundreds Killed in Banana Massacre Employees of the United Fruit Company harvest bananas in Honduras, one of the many Latin American countries the company operated in during the early twentieth century.  Colombian employees of the United Fruit Company—a U.S. corporation with a local monopoly on tropical fruit—announce a strike to demand better working conditions on banana plantations. Fearing what it considers  communist subversion , the U.S. government threatens to send in the Marine Corps should the Colombian government fail to protect United Fruit. The Colombian army opens fire on a crowd of workers, killing up to two thousand people. (The final death toll  remains unknown .) The incident damages the reputation of Colombia’s ruling Conservative Party and sparks renewed outrage from the opposition Liberal Party over the role of the United States in Latin America, where commercial and military interests have been driving U.S. intervention, predominantly in Central America, during the  Banana Wars period . 1943 World War II Deepens Security Cooperation Colombian soldiers receive rations and equipment alongside their U.S. counterparts during the Korean War in March 1953.  Colombia, which was already permitting U.S. air and naval bases on its territory, declares war on the Axis powers, laying the foundation for decades of security cooperation with Washington. Bogotá later sends troops to fight in the Korean War, and Colombia is one of the first countries to send officers to the U.S. Army’s School of the Americas (SOA) in the Panama Canal Zone, where Latin American soldiers and police receive U.S. military training. The school later faces criticism over a  pattern of human rights abuses  [PDF] and the involvement of many of its students in coups, death squads, and drug trafficking,  including in Colombia . Public pressure to close the school mounts after the Pentagon releases several  SOA training manuals  featuring descriptions of methods of torture, blackmail, and extortion. In 2000, it is rebranded as ​the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC). 1948–1958 La Violencia Sows the Seeds of Insurgency Downtown Bogotá is heavily damaged in the wake of the Bogotazo riots in April 1948.  The assassination of Liberal Party presidential candidate Jorge Eliecer Gaitan in 1948 spawns an outbreak of urban riots known as  El Bogotazo  and ignites  La Violencia , a decade-long civil war between the country’s Conservatives, who are backed by the military and large landowners, and Liberals, who are allied with a constellation of socialist reformers, peasant rebels, and communist insurgents. Over the next ten years, the conflict kills an estimated two hundred thousand Colombians and displaces nearly one million. Washington seeks to  maintain its neutrality  while continuing to provide military and economic support. A power-sharing agreement ends the war, but the exclusion of communist groups and a power vacuum in much of the countryside soon  gives rise to the formation of Marxist guerrilla groups . 1961 ‘Alliance for Progress’ Seeks a New Era U.S. President John F. Kennedy waves to a crowd in Bogota during a ceremony celebrating a new housing project built through his Alliance for Progress initiative in December 1961.  In the wake of Fidel Castro’s 1959 Cuban revolution, the U.S. government aims to curb the spread of communism in Latin America by bolstering economic and political development, including through programs such as President John F. Kennedy’s  Alliance for Progress . Colombia becomes a major recipient of aid under the program, receiving millions of dollars worth of loans to finance projects promoting peaceful social change in areas such as infrastructure development and land and tax reforms. However,  some critics of the initiative  [PDF] argue that the aid prioritizes short-term financial goals over long-term reform, and the program ends in 1973. 1962 Plan Lazo Creates Counterinsurgency Blueprint In response to the persistence of armed guerrilla groups in the countryside, U.S. military advisors, led by General William P. Yarborough, work with the Colombian army to develop a comprehensive counterinsurgency strategy known as Plan Lazo (the Snare Plan). The  plan centers on  public works projects, civilian defense networks, and an aggressive military assault on “independent republics” formed by communist insurgents during  La Violencia . Plan Lazo becomes the template for decades of counterinsurgency and civic action programs in Colombia. Member of the 51st Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) patrol in the remote mountains of Colombia, August 16, 2016. Picture taken August 16, 2016. 1964 The FARC and ELN Form Members of the FARC perform military drills at a training camp in the Colombian countryside.  The push to stamp out the remaining pockets of insurgency spurs guerrilla leaders to formalize their operations, creating Colombia’s  most consequential rebel groups , the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN). Both groups, inspired by Castro’s success in Cuba, seek to overthrow the Colombian government, though the FARC is a mostly peasant movement and the smaller ELN draws its support largely from urban student and intellectual circles. The groups’ influence and territory grow through involvement in the drug trade, and by the 1990s, the FARC’s nearly twenty thousand members control around 40 percent of Colombia. The groups’ escalating acts of violence, kidnapping, and extortion eventually lead Washington to label them foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) and prompt a decades-long U.S.-Colombia military and diplomatic partnership to combat them. 1971 War on Drugs Comes to Colombia U.S. President Richard Nixon announces the global war on drugs in June 1971.  By the 1970s, Colombian drug producers, who began by growing marijuana, expand into the production of cocaine, made from the native coca plant. Profits are immense, with Colombian cocaine selling for as much as  $50,000 per kilogram  in the United States. In 1971, U.S. President Richard Nixon requests $84 million from Congress to fund a global  war on drugs , an effort that will eventually cost the United States more than $1 trillion. Colombia is the first target of this U.S. policy shift away from counterinsurgency in Latin America and toward counternarcotics, and Washington coordinates closely with the Colombian National Police to reduce illegal drug production and trafficking, including by eradicating coca fields and interdicting smugglers. 1989 Cartel and Paramilitary Violence Escalates The headquarters of Colombia’s top security agency is in ruins after a truck bomb explodes outside on December 6, 1989.  The United States  increases military assistance  to the Colombian government, which is grappling with a growing conflict with rival drug cartels, as well as guerrilla groups and paramilitaries profiting from the drug trade. Bogotá blames the Medellin Cartel for the  December 1989 bombing  of the headquarters of the nation’s top security agency, which kills more than fifty people, as well as for the  downing of a Colombian jetliner  a month earlier. The rise in violence continues to spur the growth of right-wing paramilitary groups, such as the  United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC)  [PDF]. 1990 February 1990 Leaders Hold Andean Drug Summit The U.S., Bolivian, Colombian, and Peruvian presidents meet in Cartagena, Colombia, on February 15, 1990.  In the wake of the bombing in Bogotá, the presidents of the United States, Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru meet in Cartagena, Colombia, to discuss counternarcotics cooperation. By this point, the cocaine trade is valued at nearly $10 billion per year, with Colombia responsible for around 43 percent of global production. As part of the summit’s final declaration, the four countries  pledge to adopt  [PDF] an anti-narcotics program focused on “demand reduction, consumption, and supply.” The U.S. Defense Department’s role grows, providing intelligence and military training and equipment to Colombian security forces and overtaking leadership in this area from the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). Between 1990 and 2000, the United States provides  $1.6 billion in security assistance  to Colombia. 1996 U.S. Singles Out Colombia President Ernesto Samper unveils legislation to increase prison terms for drug traffickers in February 1997, a year after the United States decertified Colombia as a partner in the war on drugs.  Citing a lack of cooperation and endemic government corruption, U.S. President Bill Clinton  decertifies Colombia  as a partner in the drug war, a step that renders Bogotá ineligible for much U.S. economic aid, though counternarcotics assistance continues. Washington also revokes President Ernesto Samper’s visa, pointing to his alleged acceptance of campaign financing from the Cali Cartel. Samper’s administration criticizes what it sees as U.S. hypocrisy in singling out Colombia—and not Mexico, whose efforts are also considered inadequate by some U.S. officials—given the United States’ status as the largest consumer of Colombian cocaine. Meanwhile, as Colombia’s criminal underworld fragments following the 1993 death of drug lord Pablo Escobar and the subsequent dismantling of the Cali Cartel, the drug trade becomes  increasingly decentralized . 2000 Plan Colombia Seeks to Restore Order U.S. President Bill Clinton meets with Colombian President Andres Pastrana in Cartagena in August 2000 to finalize Plan Colombia.  As violence, kidnappings, and drug trafficking escalate, and as the FARC’s  influence grows , President Clinton signs into law  Plan Colombia  [PDF], a new bilateral strategy aimed at helping Colombian forces in restoring order. Amounting to $10 billion in assistance over sixteen years, the plan has three major prongs: ending illegal drug production and trafficking, promoting economic and social development, and funding and training the Colombian military. The plan’s militarized approach earns bipartisan support in the U.S. Congress, but critics  later argue that  the dependence on Colombian security forces undermines its development goals, exacerbates environmental damage, and leads to human rights abuses. 2001 Bush Launches Andean Regional Initiative Colombian soldiers undertake a military operation against FARC cocaine-processing labs in the country’s southwest.  In the wake of U.S. President George W. Bush’s declaration of a  global war on terrorism , Washington begins to  reset its efforts in Colombia  under the banner of counterterrorism. President Bush’s Andean Regional Initiative, which consists of an additional $882 million in military and economic aid to seven South American countries, further bolsters U.S. military support under Plan Colombia. With the FARC, ELN, and other guerrilla groups already on the State Department’s FTOs list, Washington and Bogotá seek to regain the offensive against such “narcoterrorist” groups, an effort that is championed by President Alvaro Uribe, who takes office in 2002. A man works in an illegal marijuana crop in the mountains of Cauca, Colombia March 15, 2018. Picture taken March 15, 2018. REUTERS/Jaime Saldarriaga - RC1293187220 2004 Trade Talks Highlight Labor Issues A worker harvests roses in Colombia, the world’s second-largest flower exporter, ahead of the U.S. Valentine’s Day holiday.  The Bush administration starts negotiations on a trade agreement with Colombia, called the  U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement  (CTPA). The deal seeks to eliminate tariffs and other barriers to trade in goods and services between the two countries, including on agricultural and industrial products, financial services, and telecommunications. They sign a deal in 2006, but the U.S. Congress holds up ratification over concerns about weak labor and environmental provisions amid ongoing violence, especially against trade unionists. Congress approves  a renegotiated deal in 2011  after President Barack Obama presses Bogotá for stronger labor protection measures. 2006 Uribe Implicated in ‘Parapolitics’ Scandal Colombian police arrest three men wanted for extradition by the United States on suspicion of heroin trafficking in 2007.  The  revelation of connections  between right-wing paramilitary groups and Colombian politicians, including President Uribe, Uribe’s brother, and members of Congress, shakes the country’s political class. The scandal underscores the degree to which paramilitaries, which, along with the Colombian army, are implicated in  thousands of extrajudicial murders , are able to wield influence through bribes and intimidation. The revelations stir concern in the U.S. Congress, where the U.S.-Colombia trade deal is still pending ratification. To salvage the deal and demonstrate Colombia’s commitment to anti-narcotics efforts, the Uribe administration  extradites fourteen former paramilitary leaders  to the United States to face drug charges. 2012 Colombia Hosts Regional Summit Heads of state pose at the sixth Summit of the Americas in Cartagena, Colombia, in April 2012.  The sixth Summit of the Americas, a gathering of the members of the  Organization of American States , is held in Cartagena, the first time Colombia plays host to the summit. Several bombings in Bogotá and Cartagena in the days before the meeting spark fears about renewed violence, though no one is injured. Discussion at the summit centers on trade, Cuba, and the global war on drugs, with Santos and several other leaders criticizing the costly and ineffective militarization of the drug fight. Among the  alternatives endorsed by leaders  is drug legalization, though it is opposed by President Obama, who is in attendance. The summit ends with the heads of state  pledging to focus  [PDF] on mitigating the effects of natural disasters, promoting infrastructure investment, and eradicating regional poverty, among other efforts. 2016 Colombia Marks Historic Move Toward Peace President Juan Manuel Santos shakes hands with FARC leader Timoleon Jimenez after signing a cease-fire deal in Havana, Cuba, on June 23, 2016.  The FARC and the Colombian government conclude four years of negotiations, hosted by Cuba, with the signing of a peace deal in August 2016 that aims to end fifty-two years of conflict that killed more than 260,000 people. After voters reject the initial deal in a national referendum, the two sides  agree to revised terms  that include an immediate cease-fire, disarmament, and the creation of a transitional justice system. In exchange, the FARC are recognized as a legitimate political party with  ten guaranteed seats in Congress  until 2026. Despite not having a formal role in the peace process, the United States supports it through the work of  a special envoy , and President Obama proposes a $450 million aid package as part of his new  Peace Colombia  initiative. 2018 Duque Shifts Policy Priorities Ivan Duque delivers his victory address after winning the Colombian presidency on June 17, 2018.  Ivan Duque, who ran on a platform critical of the peace accords, takes office as Colombia’s president and suspends existing talks with the ELN, citing the  group’s continued violence  and failure to comply with agreements made during the Santos administration. Duque finds an ally in U.S. President Donald Trump, who  criticizes Santos  for “surrendering to the narcoterrorists” by signing the 2016 peace deal. With Trump’s backing, Duque returns Bogotá’s policy focus to counternarcotics, as Colombia’s cocaine production is valued at around $2.7 billion and the United Nations estimates coca cultivation is at an “ all-time high .” The two countries later  reaffirm their commitment  to cutting coca cultivation and cocaine production by half over the next five years. 2019 February 2019 Trump Pressures Duque at White House U.S. President Donald Trump and Colombian President Ivan Duque speak with the press on February 13, 2019.  In their first meeting, President Trump pressures Duque to step up counternarcotics efforts and  resume the aerial fumigation  of coca crops, a practice suspended in 2015 over health concerns. The two also discuss efforts to support Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido and respond to the ongoing  Venezuelan refugee crisis.  Meanwhile, at home, Duque faces growing public discontent over government corruption, his  proposed tax reforms , and his lack of support for the 2016 peace deal. Sporadic protests erupt across the country as Duque’s approval rating plummets. Colombia also experiences a renewal of political violence from  ELN and FARC dissident groups  that reject the negotiated settlements with the government. 2021 Crackdown on Protesters Sparks Criticism Colombian security forces clash with demonstrators during a protest against proposed tax reforms in Bogota in April 2021.  Tens of thousands of Colombians take to the streets in late April to protest a revised set of tax proposals after earlier legislation failed in 2019. The bill, which would subject more households to higher taxes, is withdrawn within days, but the protests escalate. In response to reports of police brutality during the demonstrations—in which dozens of people are killed—a group of  fifty-five Democratic members  of the U.S. Congress condemn the government crackdown, with some  calling for  stronger conditions to be placed on U.S. security aid to Colombia. The State Department exhorts Colombian security forces to exercise the “ utmost restraint .” Though President Joe Biden issues no direct statement, he later  raises the issue  with Duque in a call that focuses on the resurgence of violence in the country. November 2021 U.S. Removes the FARC From Foreign Terrorists List Graffiti in an area for the reintegration of ex-combatants in Gaitania features the name of the Segunda Marquetalia breakaway group.  Five years after the peace deal with the FARC was signed, Biden  removes the rebel group  from the State Department’s list of FTOs, which they have been on since 1997. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the move will make it easier for the United States to support the full implementation of the peace accord, which  continues to languish  as the year is on track to be Colombia’s worst for homicides since 2013. The Biden administration also  designates two breakaway groups  created by former FARC rebels as FTOs: Segunda Marquetalia and the FARC-EP. 2022 March 2022 Biden and Duque Celebrate Bicentennial U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Colombian President Ivan Duque at the White House on March 10, 2022. Jonathan Ernst/Reuters During a meeting with Duque at the White House, Biden announces that the United States is  designating Colombia  a major non–North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ally in recognition of two hundred years of diplomatic ties. The designation grants Colombia access to certain economic and security programs but does not automatically create a mutual defense pact with the United States. The two leaders also discuss the status of bilateral counternarcotics efforts and a potential  new framework for managing regional migration , which is  later launched  in June at the ninth Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles. Biden also announces that the United States is donating an additional two million COVID-19 vaccines to Colombia. 2025 January 2025 Trump Steps up Trade Threats Over Deportation Flights Customs and Border Protection agents guide detained migrants aboard a U.S. aircraft at Fort Bliss, Texas.  In response to Colombia’s decision to turn away U.S. planes carrying Colombian deportees, President Donald Trump  threatens escalating tariffs  on Colombian goods, starting at 25 percent, as well as travel and visa bans. Colombian President Gustavo Petro  responds with retaliatory tariffs  and says Bogotá will not accept any deportation flights until the Trump administration treats migrants with “ dignity and respect .” After several tense hours, Colombia’s foreign ministry announces it would accept all deportation flights and  use the presidential plane  to help transport returning migrants. Trump Decertifies Colombia as a Counternarcotics Partner A Colombian soldier patrols the country’s coca-growing region in Villagarzón municipality, Putumayo department, September 5, 2025.  For the first time in nearly thirty years, the United States rescinds Colombia’s status as a partner in the fight against illegal drug trafficking, a process known as decertification. Trump  announces  that Bogotá has “failed demonstrably to meet its drug control obligations,” citing  record-high  coca cultivation and production under Petro. The last time the United States designated Colombia as a major producer and transporter of illicit drugs to the United States was in 1997. In response to Trump’s move, the Petro administration  suspends arms purchases  from the United States, saying that Colombia “will not be blackmailed” by the U.S. government. Experts suggest the Trump administration’s decertification of Colombia will further strain relations between the two allies amid heightened tensions over trade and immigration. Despite the shift, the United States issues a waiver preventing Colombia from losing U.S. financial and military aid. 2026 June 2026 Trump-Backed Far-Right Candidate Wins Presidential Election Abelardo de la Espriella waves to supporters on June 21, 2026, in Barranquilla, Colombia. Leonardo Castañeda/Getty Images Abelardo de la Espriella, a Trump-endorsed conservative political outsider, secures a narrow majority to serve as Colombia’s next leader. Succeeding Colombia’s first leftist president, Gustavo Petro, his victory signifies the country’s return to the right. Preliminary results show that de la Espriella, a lawyer with no political experience, defeats left-wing Senator Iván Cepeda by less than a percentage point , or roughly 251,000 votes. Cepeda concedes the race on June 24, saying he does so “to contribute to co-existence, to peace, and to dialogue among Colombians.” De la Espriella’s success follows a campaign hinged on cracking down on crime, including pledges to build ten maximum-security “mega-prisons” and kill criminals “like rats and cockroaches.” The result signifies Trump’s continued influence on Latin American presidential elections following previous victories by Trump-backed candidates in Chile and Honduras. In a social media video following his victory, de la Espriella emphasizes the need for a strong relationship with the United States to combat criminal organizations . He will take office on August 7.