Donald Trump along with President Gustavo Petro have intensified the volume in their verbal conflict, increasing tensions in their relations after US forces attacked Venezuela with the aim of deposing President Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He has cocaine mills and processing labs and is not going to be doing it very long," the US president stated.
Growing Rhetoric and Allegations
Speaking to reporters over the weekend, Trump suggested analogous military action against Colombia, asserting the nation is “very sick too” and governed by a problematic figure involved in producing narcotics and distributing it to the United States."
While Colombia stands as the world’s largest source of the narcotic, there is no evidence that President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is personally connected to the trade.
A Deteriorating Partnership
The country for decades served as a key ally of the US in the struggle against drug trafficking and enjoyed bipartisan support from American politicians, yet ties have worsened markedly since Trump assumed the presidency.
Its drug trade is predominantly run by illegal armed groups including the Clan del Golfo, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and breakaway groups of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), a large contingent of whom laid down arms following a 2016 peace deal.
Colombia's Defiant Response
Upon being questioned if armed intervention comparable to Venezuela was being considered regarding Colombia, Trump responded: "That seems like a good idea to me personally."
President Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who demobilised in the 1990s, rejected these allegations. "I am not an illegitimate leader and I am not a narco," he declared.
"He comments uninformed. End the false accusations," he wrote online.
"If US bombs target peasants, they will transform into a multitude of fighters in the hills. If they capture the nation's leader, which a large part of Colombians admires and supports, they will release the fierce spirit of the populace," the president cautioned.
From Insurgent to President
The president dedicated a period in his early life belonging in the left-wing M-19 guerrilla group but is not believed to have ever participated in combat. Following his disarmament, he participated in creating a new constitution in the early 90s subsequently becoming a prominent senator. He served as mayor of Bogotá prior to his election the nation's highest office.
"I pledged to abstain from using arms again ... but for Colombia I will take up arms again," he vowed.
Reinforced Protection and Cross-Political Condemnation
Colombia's defense chief stated that the national leader's security detail had received additional support.
A segment of Colombia’s conservative opposition have sided with Trump, however, leaders from across the ideological divide have condemned the possibility of a US attack against their nation.
Bilateral and Economic Sanctions
American authorities cancelled the president's entry visa subsequent to he called on American soldiers to disobey any illegal orders. Later, in October, authorities imposed asset freezes targeting Petro, his wife and various associates.
Simultaneously while America bolstered its military presence in the region and targeting alleged narcotics traffickers to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces have also conducted operations on maritime targets in the eastern Pacific region off the Colombian coast.
