The US President along with Colombia's president have escalated the volume of their war of words, further raising strains bilaterally after American military units targeted Venezuela with the aim of deposing President Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He operates drug factories and production sites and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump remarked.
Growing Rhetoric coupled with Claims
Speaking to journalists on Sunday, the American leader threatened similar armed intervention towards the South American nation, claiming Colombia is also "very ill" and governed by a sick man involved in producing cocaine and distributing it to the US."
Although Colombia remains the globe's biggest source of the narcotic, no proof exists that President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is in any way tied to the illicit industry.
A Frayed Relationship
Colombia for decades served as a close partner of the US in the campaign against narcotics trade and benefited from cross-party backing in the US capital, yet ties have worsened significantly following Trump came to office.
Colombia’s drug trade is mainly overseen by illegal armed groups including the Golf Clan, the ELN guerrilla group and renegade units of the demobilized Farc, a large contingent of whom demobilised subsequent to a historic peace agreement.
The President's Strong Answer
When asked if a military operation like that in Venezuela was a possibility against his country, Trump responded: "That seems like a good idea to me."
The Colombian leader, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who demobilised in the 1990s, firmly denied Trump's claims. "I am no an illegitimate leader and I am not a drug trafficker," he affirmed.
"Trump speaks without information. End the false accusations," he wrote in a post.
"Should American forces attack peasants, they will turn into thousands of guerrillas in the hills. And if they detain the president, whom a significant portion of the population admires and supports, they will unleash the fierce spirit of the nation," Petro warned.
From Fighter to Statesman
Petro spent some years as a young man belonging of the leftist M-19 guerrilla group though it is believed he did not participated in combat. Upon leaving the group, he took part in writing the constitutional rewrite in 1991 subsequently becoming an influential politician. He served as mayor of the capital city before winning president.
"I swore to abstain from using arms again ... but for Colombia I shall resume arms again," he vowed.
Reinforced Protection and Widespread Rejection
Minister Pedro Sánchez reported that the national leader's security detail was strengthened.
A segment of Colombia’s conservative opposition have allied themselves with Trump's stance, however, leaders from across Colombian politics have condemned the possibility of American military action against their nation.
Political and Financial Pressure
American authorities cancelled the president's entry visa after he urged American soldiers to ignore unlawful commands. Months later, the US enacted asset freezes targeting Petro, his spouse and several key allies.
At the same time as the US increased its troop levels near Venezuela and striking suspected drug boats against Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces have also conducted attacks on boats in the eastern Pacific region off the Colombian coast.
