Petro Says Investigation Confirms 'Bomb in Colombian Territory Is From Ecuador's Army,' Vows Diplomatic Action

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said an investigation confirmed that an unexploded bomb discovered near the country's border with Ecuador belongs to its military, adding that Bogota will issue a diplomatic protest over the incident.

"It has been confirmed that the bomb in Colombian territory is from the Ecuadorean army. The investigation continues and there will be a diplomatic protest note," Petro wrote on X, referring to the device found in the southern Colombian department of Nariño, near the frontier between the two countries.

Petro first raised the allegation during a cabinet meeting, saying the presence of the device suggested Colombian territory may have been bombed from the air. "A bomb thrown from an airplane has appeared very close to the border with Ecuador," he said. "It confirms a bit my suspicion... that they are bombing us from Ecuador, and it is not the armed groups."

The discovery was first documented by journalists from The New York Times, who reported that farmers in southern Colombia led them last week to a nearly six-foot-long unexploded bomb lying in a field between coca crops and banana trees less than a mile from the Ecuadorian border. Experts consulted by the newspaper identified the munition as an American-designed Mark-82, a 500-pound general-purpose bomb commonly used in aerial warfare.

The farmers told the newspaper they discovered the weapon in early March, around the same time Ecuador's military said it was carrying out air operations against drug trafficking groups in northern Ecuador. Witnesses said they saw aircraft flying over the area and dropping objects on the day the bomb is believed to have landed.

According to the report, the bomb's fuse remained partially intact, leaving sensitive explosives inside the device. Military analysts warned that such munitions can be extremely dangerous if left unexploded, with lethal fragmentation capable of traveling hundreds of feet.

Ecuador's president, Daniel Noboa, denied Petro's original accusations on Tuesday and insisted Ecuadorian forces had operated only within their own territory. "Your statements are false; we are acting in our territory, not in yours," Noboa wrote on X.

The dispute comes amid growing tensions between the neighboring countries, which have clashed over border security and drug trafficking. Ecuador has intensified military operations against organized crime groups near the frontier, deploying tens of thousands of troops as part of a broader campaign against trafficking networks operating in the region.