Ecuador recalled its ambassador to Colombia, Arturo Felix Wong, on Wednesday following a series of public remarks by Colombian President Gustavo Petro regarding the status of former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas.
Glas is currently serving a lengthy sentence in an Ecuadorian prison for corruption. The diplomatic move marks the latest escalation in a long-standing feud between Ecuador’s right-wing President Daniel Noboa and his Colombian counterpart.
Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld confirmed the recall during a local radio interview. She described Petro’s recent comments as an "uncalled for" provocation.
A diplomatic rift deepens
President Noboa took to social media on Tuesday to denounce the characterization of Glas as a "political prisoner." He labeled the rhetoric from Bogotá as an assault on Ecuadorian sovereignty and a violation of the principle of non-intervention.
"This country has waited years to see the corrupt answer to justice," Noboa said. The president has repeatedly maintained that legal proceedings against Glas are a domestic matter.
Petro’s recent social media posts specifically questioned the treatment of Glas, a dual citizen of Colombia and Ecuador. The Colombian leader alleged that Glas is suffering from severe malnutrition and muscle mass loss due to inadequate care in prison.
"I call upon international human rights organisations to safeguard his rights," Petro wrote. He warned that allowing a prisoner to starve would constitute a "crime against humanity."
Relations between the two nations have been strained since April 2024, when Ecuadorian police raided the Mexican embassy in Quito to arrest Glas. He had been seeking asylum in the facility, and the raid prompted Mexico to sever diplomatic ties with Ecuador entirely.
Glas was convicted in the Odebrecht scandal, which involved a massive bribery scheme across several Latin American countries. He received a six-year sentence in 2017 for accepting $13.5 million in bribes and an additional eight-year sentence in 2020. Following the embassy raid, he faced a further 13-year sentence for the misuse of public funds.
The tension between Noboa and Petro extends beyond the Glas case. In March, the Ecuadorian government imposed 50-percent tariffs on Colombian goods, citing concerns over drug trafficking. Petro has countered by accusing the Ecuadorian military of conducting bombing operations near the shared border, an allegation that adds to the regional friction.
