The US President along with President Gustavo Petro have intensified the volume in their verbal conflict, further raising tensions in their relations after US forces targeted Venezuela to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He operates drug factories and cocaine factories and his time is running out," the US president stated.
Escalating Rhetoric and Allegations
Speaking to journalists on Sunday, Trump threatened comparable use of force against Bogotá, asserting the nation is “very sick too” and “run by a sick man who likes making narcotics and selling it to the United States."
Although Colombia remains the leading cocaine-producing country, authorities have found no indication implicating Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is directly tied to the business.
A Deteriorating Partnership
This nation has long been a staunch collaborator of the United States in the campaign against drug trafficking and benefited from cross-party backing in the US capital, yet ties have soured dramatically following Trump was elected.
Colombia’s narcotics trade is predominantly run by guerrilla factions like the Clan del Golfo, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and renegade units of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), the majority of whose members laid down arms after a landmark accord.
Petro's Defiant Answer
Upon being questioned if a military operation similar to Venezuela was being considered for Colombia, Trump replied: "I like the sound of that from my perspective."
President Petro, an ex-guerrilla fighter who disarmed in the 1990s, categorically refuted Trump's claims. "I am no illegitimate and certainly not a drug trafficker," he affirmed.
"The US president speaks uninformed. Cease defaming me," he posted online.
"Should American forces attack peasants, they will turn into numerous insurgents in the mountains. And if they detain the president, whom a large part of the population admires and supports, they will release the ‘jaguar’ of the populace," the president cautioned.
From Insurgent to President
The president dedicated a period in his early life as a member of the leftist M-19 insurgent movement but is not believed that he never engaged in fighting. After demobilizing, he was involved in writing the nation's constitution in the early 90s and later became an influential politician. He held the office of mayor of the capital city prior to his election the nation's highest office.
"I made a vow to never again hold a weapon again ... but for Colombia I will take up weapons once more," he affirmed.
Heightened Measures along with Cross-Political Opposition
Colombia's defense chief reported that Petro's personal security was strengthened.
Several members of Colombia’s conservative opposition have sided with the US president, however, leaders from all sides of the ideological divide have rejected the notion of American military action on Colombia.
Diplomatic and Financial Strains
The US cancelled the president's entry visa subsequent to he urged US troops to disobey any illegal orders. In October, the US enacted asset freezes targeting Petro, his wife and various key allies.
At the same time while America bolstered its military presence near Venezuela and targeting suspected drug boats against Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces executed attacks on boats in the eastern Pacific region near Colombia.
