Donald Trump along with Colombia's president have escalated the volume of their war of words, increasing tensions bilaterally following US forces attacked Venezuela with the aim of deposing President Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He operates drug factories and production sites and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump remarked.
Rising Tensions and Accusations
Talking to journalists on Sunday, Trump hinted at comparable armed intervention against Bogotá, asserting the nation is “very sick too” and governed by an unwell individual who enjoys creating narcotics and distributing it to America."
While Colombia remains the world’s largest producer of cocaine, there is no evidence linking President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is in any way connected to the illicit industry.
A Frayed Partnership
The country for decades served as a close partner of the United States in the campaign against narcotics trade and received bipartisan support in the US capital, yet ties have soured significantly following Trump came to office.
The nation's drug trade is mainly overseen by criminal organizations like the Golf Clan, another leftist insurgency and renegade units of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), a large contingent of whom demobilised following a 2016 peace deal.
The President's Strong Rebuttal
In response to a query whether a military operation comparable to Venezuela was a possibility against his country, Trump said: "I like the sound of that from my perspective."
The Colombian leader, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who demobilised in the last century, firmly denied these allegations. "I am no an illegitimate leader and I am not a narco," he affirmed.
"He comments without knowledge. Stop slandering me," he wrote in a message.
"Should American forces attack peasants, they will turn into numerous insurgents in the mountains. And should they arrest me, whom a large part of the country admires and supports, they will provoke the ‘jaguar’ of the people," Petro warned.
From Fighter to President
He passed part of his youth belonging in the left-wing M-19 insurgent movement but is not believed that he never engaged in fighting. After demobilizing, he was involved in creating the constitutional rewrite in the early 90s and later became a respected lawmaker. He served as mayor of Bogotá before winning the presidency.
"I swore to abstain from using arms again ... but in defense of my country I shall resume the fight," he vowed.
Heightened Measures along with Cross-Political Opposition
The Colombian defence minister reported that the president’s security detail was strengthened.
Many among Colombia’s right wing opposition have sided with Trump, however, leaders from across Colombian politics have condemned the threats of American military action against their nation.
Political and Economic Strains
Washington withdrew the president's entry visa subsequent to he called on US military personnel to ignore any illegal orders. Later, in October, authorities imposed economic restrictions on Petro, his wife and several close collaborators.
Concurrently while America bolstered its troop levels in the Caribbean and targeting alleged narcotics traffickers to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets also carried out strikes against vessels in the eastern Pacific region adjacent to Colombia.
