Colombian-Ecuador border pass operating normally as countries exchange increased tariffs

Описание: (22 Jan 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tulcan, Ecuador - 22 January 2026
1. Various vehicles entering Ecuador from Colombia
2. Various Ecuadorian military personnel inspecting vehicles
3. Soldiers patting Colombian citizens before they enter Ecuador
4. Suitcases
5. Ecuadorians returning to their country carrying suitcases with imported products
6. People entering Ecuador
7. Military personnel guarding the road
8. Ecuadorian police officers asking vehicles to move forward
9. Various police officers inspecting vehicles leaving Ecuador for Colombia
10. Vehicles leaving Ecuador
STORYLINE:
The border between Ecuador and Colombia operated normally on Thursday, after the Colombian government announced on Thursday that it will apply a 30% tax on a group of products from Ecuador and suspend electricity exports to that country.

Colombia's new policy is in response to the unilateral equivalent tax announced the day before by the government of Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa.

The tension began with Noboa's public protest over a trade deficit of more than $850 million with Colombia and the lack of reciprocity in the protection of binational borders, where criminal groups linked to drug trafficking operate.

The Colombian government expressed surprise at the unilateral tariffs imposed by Ecuador and argued that bilateral cooperation is ongoing and has consolidated binational mechanisms that include military collaboration to attack criminal groups and carry out anti-narcotics operations.

According to Noboa, the Ecuadorian government will impose a unilateral 30% tariff on Colombian products starting February 1, after complaining that the trade balance between Ecuador and Colombia has been unfavorable.

From January to November 2024, Ecuadorian exports totaled $760 million, while imports from Colombia totaled $1.866 billion, according to the latest figures from the Ecuadorian Ministry of Production. The Federation of Exporters of Ecuador said that between January and November 2025, the trade deficit with Colombia was $852 million.

For its part, the Colombian Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Tourism announced in a statement that the 30% tax will be imposed on imports of 20 Ecuadorian products—which were not specified—with the “possibility of extending the measure to a broader group.”

The Andean Community expressed its concern in a statement in which it asked the two countries to postpone the announced measures and offered to help in a bilateral dialogue.

The business sector in both countries has expressed concern about the short-term consequences of the tariffs if the governments do not find a quick solution.

Among the main products that Ecuador buys from Colombia are electricity, medicines, and cleaning products. Ecuador exports primary and industrial non-oil products such as canned fish, wood, vegetable oil extracts, and manufactured goods, among others.

AP Video by Cesar Olmo

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