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First modification: 05/05/2026 - 05:01

Daniel Noboa's administration makes the announcement three days after a 100% tariff on Colombian products came into force on May 1. The decision of the Carondelet Palace is to establish bilateral cooperation mechanisms for security in addition to strengthening the development of the border area.

The origins of this tariff war date back to January 2026, when Quito accused Colombia of not implementing the correct measures to secure the common border. At first the tariff was 30% for Ecuadorian products and in response, the Colombian authorities cut off the electricity supply to its southern neighbor, essential for times of drought.

However, given the escalation of tension, basically due to the comments and reactions of both leaders through their social media accounts, the Ecuadorian tariff was raised to 50%, shortly before announcing the final measure of 100% in April.

The government decision affected, first of all, the commercial activities of the populations located on both borders. Then, the binational trade that between February and March of this year turned the trade balance around with a surplus of 62.9 million dollars for Ecuador, a figure very different from the 146 million dollar deficit during the same period in 2025.

According to Óscar Obando, president of the Border Workers Union Committee, who told Colombian media, the situation has affected some 400,000 jobs in both countries, while commercial activities were reduced to 5%.

The measure taken by the Quito administration allowed the Colombian Government to announce that it will seek a new space for dialogue and find a solution to the tariff dispute and fully resume trade relations.

Previously, Colombia had responded with the imposition of the so-called “smart tariffs” of 35, 50 and 75%, although under priority of national production so Ecuadorian products necessary for the development of the Colombian industry would not pay tariffs.

With Reuters and Colombian and Ecuadorian media

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