The US President and Colombia's president have escalated the volume of their war of words, heightening strains in their relations after American military units targeted Venezuela to remove President Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He has narcotics facilities and production sites and that won't last much longer," Trump remarked.
Escalating Tensions and Allegations
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump threatened analogous military action against Colombia, stating the country faces serious problems and “run by a sick man who enjoys creating the drug and selling it to the United States."
While Colombia remains the world’s largest cocaine-producing country, there is no evidence that President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is in any way tied to the trade.
A Deteriorating Partnership
This nation has long been a key ally of Washington in the campaign against drug trafficking and benefited from wide political approval in Washington, yet ties have soured significantly since Trump assumed the presidency.
The nation's illicit drug economy is predominantly run by illegal armed groups including one major cartel, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and renegade units of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), the majority of whose members demobilised after a landmark accord.
Colombia's Defiant Answer
When asked whether armed intervention comparable to Venezuela was on the cards against his country, Trump said: "It sounds good from my perspective."
Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who left armed struggle in the 1990s, rejected the accusations. "I am no an illegitimate leader and I am not a narco," he declared.
"The US president speaks uninformed. Stop slandering me," he expressed online.
"Should American forces attack civilians, they will transform into numerous insurgents across the countryside. And if they detain the president, which many of Colombians loves and respects, they will provoke the fierce spirit of the populace," he admonished.
From Guerrilla to President
Petro spent a period in his early life as a member with the radical M-19 guerrilla group although reports indicate that he never took part in armed clashes. Following his disarmament, he was involved in writing the nation's constitution in 1991 subsequently becoming an influential politician. He was mayor of the Colombian capital before winning president.
"I swore to never again hold arms again ... but in defense of my country I shall resume arms again," he affirmed.
Increased Security and Broad Condemnation
The Colombian defence minister announced that the president’s personal security had been reinforced.
Many among Colombia’s political right have allied themselves with Trump's stance, but voices from across Colombian politics have condemned the possibility of an invasion on Colombia.
Diplomatic and Financial Pressure
Washington cancelled the president's entry visa subsequent to he called on US troops to refuse orders that violate law. Later, in October, it placed economic restrictions targeting Petro, his wife and several close collaborators.
Simultaneously as the US increased its military presence in the Caribbean and targeting suspected drug boats against Venezuela’s Maduro, the US have also conducted strikes against vessels off the Pacific coast off the Colombian coast.
