U.S. Military Action in Caribbean Results in Death of Colombian Fisherman
BOGOTÁ, Colombia – October 19, 2025 – Colombian President Gustavo Petro has accused teh United States of violating Colombian sovereignty adn causing the death of a fisherman during a recent military operation targeting drug trafficking in the Caribbean Sea. Petro stated U.S. goverment officials committed a murder within Colombian territorial waters.
“U.S. government officials have committed a murder and violated our sovereignty in territorial waters. Fisherman Alejandro Carranza had no ties to drug trafficking and his daily activity was fishing,” Petro said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
According to Petro, Carranza’s boat was adrift wiht a breakdown signal and onyl one engine functioning at the time of the incident. The Colombian government is seeking explanations from the U.S. government.
Family members have identified Carranza’s vessel in videos circulating in international media documenting the mid-September U.S. military attacks. Audenis Manjarres, a relative of Carranza, stated in an interview with RTVC Noticias, “Alejandro Carranza is a fisherman, we were raised in fishing families (…) it is indeed not fair that they bombed him in that way. An innocent person who goes out to look for his daily bread.” Manjarres reported the last time he spoke with Carranza was the day before the incident, at 5:00 a.m. local time.
Carranza was a resident of Santa Marta, a coastal city in the Colombian Caribbean.
Petro’s government has formally rejected the U.S.military incursion,which occurred near Venezuelan waters,and has requested the United Nations to open criminal proceedings against former President Donald Trump for allegedly ordering the attacks,claiming fishermen and young people were among the victims. Petro has also asked the Prosecutor’s Office to investigate the incident.
