Donald Trump along with President Gustavo Petro have escalated the volume in their verbal conflict, further raising tensions bilaterally after American military units targeted Venezuela with the aim of deposing Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He runs cocaine mills and production sites and is not going to be doing it very long," the US president stated.
Rising Threats and Allegations
Talking to reporters over the weekend, the American leader suggested similar armed intervention against Bogotá, asserting the country is also "very ill" and governed by a sick man who likes making narcotics and selling it to the US."
Although Colombia remains the leading cocaine-producing country, there is no evidence implicating Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is directly connected to the illicit industry.
A Frayed Relationship
The country was historically a close partner of the US in the campaign against drug trafficking and benefited from wide political approval from American politicians, but relations have soured dramatically following Trump assumed the presidency.
Its drug trade is largely controlled by criminal organizations including one major cartel, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and breakaway groups of the former Farc guerrillas, most of its former fighters disbanded following a landmark accord.
Colombia's Firm Rebuttal
When asked if armed intervention comparable to Venezuela was on the cards for Colombia, Trump responded: "That seems like a good idea from my perspective."
The Colombian leader, an ex-guerrilla fighter who demobilised in the last century, rejected Trump's claims. "I am not an illegitimate leader and certainly not a narco," he stated.
"The US president speaks uninformed. Stop slandering me," he posted in a message.
"Should American forces attack rural communities, they will transform into a multitude of fighters in the mountains. And if they detain me, which many of Colombians admires and supports, they will provoke the ‘jaguar’ of the people," Petro warned.
From Guerrilla to Leader
He passed some years as a young man as a member of the leftist M-19 guerrilla group but is not believed that he never engaged in fighting. Following his disarmament, he was involved in creating the nation's constitution in the early 90s and eventually served as a prominent senator. He was mayor of the capital city before winning the presidency.
"I pledged to never again hold a gun ... but for the homeland I shall resume arms again," he vowed.
Reinforced Protection along with Broad Rejection
Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that the president’s protection team had received additional support.
A segment of Colombia’s conservative opposition have sided with Trump's stance, yet figures spanning Colombian politics have denounced the possibility of an invasion against their nation.
Political and Economic Strains
The US cancelled Petro’s visa subsequent to he urged American soldiers to refuse orders that violate law. In October, authorities imposed asset freezes against the president, his wife and several associates.
Concurrently the US was building up its forces in the region and bombing vessels thought to carry drugs against Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces executed attacks on boats off the Pacific coast off the Colombian coast.
