(MC)Why did the United States aid the efforts of Panamanian rebels who wanted independence from Colombia? The Colombian government was refusing to repay large loans made by banks based in the United States. The Colombian government had blocked the United States’ efforts to secure rights to the Panama Canal Zone. The Colombian government was communist, and the rebels promised to align their new country with the United States. The Colombian government had agreed to allow the Spanish to reestablish a presence in the Western hemisphere..