The US President along with Colombia's president have turned up the volume of their exchange, heightening tensions bilaterally after American military units attacked Venezuela in an operation to oust President Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He has narcotics facilities and cocaine factories and that won't last much longer," Trump remarked.
Rising Rhetoric coupled with Claims
Talking to journalists on Sunday, the American leader suggested similar military action towards the South American nation, claiming Colombia is “very sick too” and governed by a sick man who likes making the drug and distributing it to the US."
While Colombia stands as the world’s largest cocaine-producing country, authorities have found no indication implicating Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is in any way involved in the illicit industry.
A Deteriorating Alliance
This nation has long been a close partner of the US in the struggle against drug trafficking and received bipartisan support from American politicians, but relations have deteriorated significantly since Trump came to office.
Its narcotics trade is mainly overseen by illegal armed groups like the Clan del Golfo, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and dissident factions of the demobilized Farc, most of its former fighters demobilised subsequent to a 2016 peace deal.
Colombia's Strong Rebuttal
In response to a query whether a military operation similar to Venezuela was on the cards regarding Colombia, Trump responded: "It sounds good to me personally."
President Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who left armed struggle in the last century, rejected the accusations. "I am no an illegitimate leader nor am I involved in narcotics," he affirmed.
"The US president speaks uninformed. Stop slandering me," he wrote online.
"If they [the US] bomb peasants, they will transform into numerous insurgents across the countryside. And should they arrest the nation's leader, which a large part of the population admires and supports, they will release the ‘jaguar’ of the people," Petro warned.
From Guerrilla to Statesman
He passed part of his youth belonging with the radical M-19 insurgent movement but is not believed that he never engaged in fighting. Following his disarmament, he participated in creating the constitutional rewrite in the early 90s and eventually served as an influential politician. He held the office of mayor of Bogotá before being elected president.
"I made a vow not to touch a gun ... but for Colombia I shall resume weapons once more," he vowed.
Heightened Measures along with Cross-Political Rejection
Minister Pedro Sánchez reported that the president’s security detail was strengthened.
Several members of Colombia’s political right have allied themselves with Trump, however, leaders from across the ideological divide have condemned the threats of a US attack on Colombia.
Diplomatic and Financial Pressure
Washington cancelled the president's entry visa following he urged US troops to disobey unlawful commands. In October, the US enacted asset freezes targeting Petro, the first lady and a number of close collaborators.
Simultaneously while America bolstered its forces in the region and targeting vessels thought to carry drugs against Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets have also conducted operations on maritime targets in the eastern Pacific region off the Colombian coast.
