Full Breakdown
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio Tours Colombia, Ecuador and Peru to Deepen Security and Trade Ties with New Right-Wing Leaders
9/9/2026, 11:07:57 PM
Core Event: Three-Nation Diplomatic Tour
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio began a three-country tour of South America, meeting newly inaugurated Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella in Barranquilla on September 8, then traveling to Quito to confer with Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, and finally proceeding to Lima for talks with Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori. The trip is framed as an effort to expand security cooperation against transnational criminal networks and to negotiate “good, solid” trade agreements with the three nations.
Background & Context
Recent elections have produced a wave of right-wing leaders in the region who align closely with President Donald Trump. The United States has invoked a “Donroe Doctrine” to justify a more militarized approach to counter-drug operations and has promoted the Shield of the Americas (also called the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition) – a 20-member framework that pledges lethal force against cartels. Trump-backed figures also include Honduras’s Nasry Asfura, Bolivia’s Rodrigo Paz, Argentina’s Javier Milei, and El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele.
Timeline
- August 7 – De la Espriella sworn in as Colombia’s president.
- August 10 – A magnitude-8.4 earthquake strikes Colombia, killing more than 330 people (State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott).
- September 8 – Rubio meets De la Espriella in Barranquilla; the two discuss security and economic cooperation.
- Early September – Rubio travels to Quito and then Lima; exact dates not disclosed.
Data & Statistics
- At least 227 people have been killed in U.S. strikes on vessels accused of drug trafficking over the past year, according to rights-group reports.
- The United States intercepted and sank a vessel linked to Ecuadorian criminal group Los Choneros, the sixth such operation in less than two weeks.
- The January 3 agreement with Venezuela’s interim leader Delcy Rodriguez grants U.S. companies access to 65 billion barrels of crude oil reserves over the next 100 years.
- Colombia seeks relief from a 12.5 % U.S. tariff that took effect in July, arguing it harms Colombian exports.
Official Statements & Responses
- Rubio indicated plans to request U.S. radar, drone and other equipment to combat drug gangs.
- Ecuador’s Interior Minister John Reimberg defended the U.S. vessel strikes as legitimate counter-drug actions in an interview with Teleamazonas.
- Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori pledged closer ties with Washington and a military crackdown on criminal groups.
Criticism & Opposition
- Leftist presidential candidate Ivan Cepeda wrote on social media that the “memoranda of understanding” Rubio and De la Espriella are set to sign are “disastrous,” adding that the authorisation to carry weapons is equally troubling.
- Family members of strike victims in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific claim those killed were fishermen, not drug smugglers, challenging the U.S. narrative of targeting “narco-terrorists.”
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- The identity of individuals killed in recent U.S. vessel strikes is disputed: U.S. officials describe the targets as drug traffickers, while relatives say they were civilian fishermen.
- The State Department has released only a brief agenda for Rubio’s trip, leaving the specifics of forthcoming trade agreements and security pacts unclear.
What’s Next
Rubio said the United States hopes to finalize “good, solid” trade deals with Colombia, Ecuador and Peru soon, while continuing to expand military cooperation under the Shield of the Americas framework. Ongoing negotiations with Venezuela over oil access and the pending tariff relief for Colombia suggest further diplomatic activity in the coming months.
