PERU announced yesterday a “definitive recall” of its ambassador to Colombia, accusing its neighbour, as it did with Mexico last month, of downplaying ex-president Pedro Castillo’s recent attempted power grab, which led to his ouster and arrest.

The Peruvian Foreign Ministry said the move followed “repeated interference and offensive expressions” by leftist Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who was “distorting reality by ignoring that on December 7, 2022, a coup d’etat took place in Peru perpetrated by former president Pedro Castillo.”

Petro’s “continuous interfering expressions have seriously deteriorated the historical relationship of friendship, cooperation and mutual respect that has existed between Peru and Colombia,” the statement added.

With the announcement, diplomatic relations between the two South American countries are now formally at the level of charge d’affaires, the ministry said.

Castillo, 53, has been behind bars since December 7 when he was arrested after attempting to dissolve parliament and rule by decree.

The leftist leader had been trying to ward off a third vote in Congress to impeach him for alleged corruption.

His ouster sparked mass nationwide protests that have left at least 54 people dead and some 600 injured from clashes between demonstrators and security forces.

Protesters have demanded the resignation of Castillo’s successor, his former vice president Dina Boluarte.

They also want immediate elections, a new constitution and the dissolution of parliament.

Boluarte in December recalled Peru’s ambassador to Colombia for consultations.

On February 25, she also announced the definitive recall of Peru’s ambassador in Mexico, alleging the Mexican president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, had also violated the principle of non-interference in internal affairs.

Lopez Obrador has repeatedly called Castillo’s ouster “illegal.” – AFP, March 30, 2023.