Colombia's Petro inks $4.3bn deal for 17 fighter jets amid regional tension

"Colombian President Gustavo Petro has announced a $4.3bn deal to buy Swedish warplanes at a time when his country is locked in tension with the United States. Speaking on Friday, Petro confirmed an agreement was reached with Sweden's Saab aircraft manufacturer to buy 17 Gripen fighter jets, giving the first confirmation of the size and cost of the military acquisition that was initially announced in April."

"The purchase of warplanes comes as Colombia and much of remaining Latin America are on edge due to a US military build-up in the region, and as US forces carry out a campaign of deadly attacks on vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. Washington claims but has provided no evidence that it has targeted drug smuggling vessels in its 20 confirmed attacks that have killed about 80 people so far in international waters."

"US President Donald Trump has also accused both Petro and his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolas Maduro, of being involved in the regional drug trade, a claim that both leaders have strenuously denied. Petro said the new warplanes will be used to dissuade aggression against Colombia, wherever it may come from. In a world that is geopolitically messy, he said, such aggression can come from anywhere."

Colombia agreed to buy 17 Saab Gripen fighter jets for $4.3 billion, confirming the cost and size of the military acquisition. The president framed the purchase as a deterrent weapon intended to achieve peace and to dissuade aggression against Colombia from any direction. The announcement comes amid heightened regional tensions tied to a US military build-up and US operations targeting vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific that have reportedly killed around 80 people. Washington asserts those attacks targeted drug smuggling vessels but has not provided evidence. Accusations and counteraccusations involve US leaders and regional presidents over drug trade allegations.

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