Colombian President Gustavo Petro has delivered a seismic announcement, declaring his intention to pull Colombia out of its global partnership with NATO.
This marks an unprecedented move by a Colombian leader, signaling a potential rupture with one of the most powerful military blocs in the world.
Addressing an emergency conference on Gaza in Bogotá, Petro challenged Colombia’s moral standing, questioning why his nation should remain tied to what he called forces responsible for the slaughter of innocents. He said, “How can we stand with armies that drop bombs on children?”
Petro’s words grew even sharper. He branded NATO forces as armies of darkness and armies of evil. For him, this isn’t just foreign policy—it’s a fight for moral clarity. “They are not armies of freedom. They are armies of darkness. We must leave NATO. There is no other way.”
But Petro didn’t stop there. He called for an entirely new global security vision—a coalition he dramatically named an army of light, uniting nations committed to peace and human dignity.
“We must have armies of light and unite our armies and think things through. Israeli weapons can no longer reach us here, and they are arriving, and this government’s defense minister must answer for that.”
He also aimed his criticism squarely at Europe and the United States, accusing them of backing what he called neo-Nazi elements in today’s conflicts.
Colombia became NATO’s only Latin American partner in 2018 and later secured U.S. recognition as a major non-NATO ally. Petro’s declaration now tears at the fabric of those alliances, setting the stage for a historic geopolitical shift.
If Petro follows through, Colombia won’t just be walking away from NATO—it could be redefining the balance of power in the global South, a move that challenges decades of Western dominance and signals the birth of a new world order.