President Trump along with his Colombian counterpart have escalated the volume of their war of words, increasing tensions in their relations following American military units targeted Venezuela with the aim of deposing the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He operates narcotics facilities and production sites and his time is running out," Trump remarked.
Escalating Rhetoric coupled with Accusations
Talking to journalists over the weekend, the American leader hinted at comparable military action against Colombia, asserting Colombia is also "very ill" and led by an unwell individual who enjoys creating narcotics and selling it to America."
While Colombia stands as the leading producer of cocaine, there is no evidence that President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is in any way connected to the business.
A Strained Alliance
The country for decades served as a close partner of the United States in the struggle against narcotics trade and received cross-party backing in Washington, yet ties have worsened significantly after Trump assumed the presidency.
Its narcotics trade is largely controlled by criminal organizations such as the Clan del Golfo, another leftist insurgency and dissident factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), a large contingent of whom demobilised following a 2016 peace deal.
Colombia's Strong Answer
Upon being questioned whether armed intervention similar to Venezuela was a possibility regarding Colombia, Trump said: "That seems like a good idea to me personally."
Petro, an ex-guerrilla fighter who left armed struggle decades ago, rejected these allegations. "I am not illegitimate nor am I involved in narcotics," he declared.
"The US president speaks uninformed. Stop slandering me," he expressed in a post.
"If they [the US] bomb civilians, they will transform into numerous insurgents in the mountains. And if they detain the president, whom a large part of the country holds in high esteem, they will unleash the ‘jaguar’ of the nation," Petro warned.
From Fighter to President
Petro spent some years as a young man as a member of the leftist M-19 armed organization though it is believed to have ever participated in combat. Upon leaving the group, he participated in writing a new constitution over three decades ago and later became an influential politician. He was mayor of the capital city before being elected president.
"I pledged to never again hold a weapon again ... but in defense of my country I would take up the fight," he affirmed.
Increased Security along with Broad Condemnation
The Colombian defence minister announced that the president’s security detail had received additional support.
Many among Colombia’s political right have expressed support with Trump, but voices from all sides of the ideological divide have rejected the possibility of an invasion against their nation.
Political and Economic Strains
The US revoked the president's entry visa subsequent to he called on US military personnel to ignore unlawful commands. Later, in October, the US enacted financial sanctions targeting Petro, the first lady and various associates.
At the same time as the US increased its forces near Venezuela and striking alleged narcotics traffickers to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets also carried out operations on maritime targets off the Pacific coast near Colombia.
