President Trump along with Colombia's president have turned up the tone of their war of words, heightening strains in their relations after US forces targeted Venezuela with the aim of deposing Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He operates narcotics facilities and processing labs and that won't last much longer," the US president stated.
Escalating Threats coupled with Allegations
Talking to the press over the weekend, the American leader hinted at analogous armed intervention against Bogotá, stating the nation is also "very ill" and governed by an unwell individual involved in producing cocaine and distributing it to the US."
Although Colombia remains the globe's biggest producer of cocaine, no proof exists that President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is personally connected to the business.
A Frayed Alliance
Colombia was historically a key ally of Washington in the fight against narcotics trade and received bipartisan support from American politicians, yet ties have worsened markedly following Trump was elected.
The nation's narcotics trade is predominantly run by criminal organizations like the Clan del Golfo, another leftist insurgency and renegade units of the demobilized Farc, the majority of whose members laid down arms following a 2016 peace deal.
Petro's Strong Rebuttal
In response to a query whether armed intervention like that in Venezuela was on the cards against his country, Trump responded: "It sounds good to me personally."
The Colombian leader, a former leftist guerrilla who left armed struggle decades ago, rejected the accusations. "I am neither illegitimate and I am not a drug trafficker," he affirmed.
"The US president speaks without knowledge. Stop slandering me," he posted online.
"If they [the US] bomb peasants, they will become a multitude of fighters across the countryside. If they capture the nation's leader, which a large part of the country holds in high esteem, they will release the powerful force of the populace," he admonished.
From Fighter to Leader
He passed some years as a young man belonging of the leftist M-19 guerrilla group but is not believed that he never participated in combat. Following his disarmament, he participated in writing the constitutional rewrite in the early 90s subsequently becoming a respected lawmaker. He was mayor of the Colombian capital before winning president.
"I made a vow to never again hold arms again ... but in defense of my country I will take up arms again," he affirmed.
Reinforced Protection along with Broad Opposition
Minister Pedro Sánchez reported that Petro's personal security had received additional support.
Many among Colombia’s conservative opposition have allied themselves with Trump, but voices from all sides of the political spectrum have rejected the possibility of an invasion against their nation.
Political and Financial Strains
The US revoked Petro’s visa after he encouraged US military personnel to ignore orders that violate law. Later, in October, the US enacted financial sanctions against the president, his wife and several key allies.
Concurrently while America bolstered its troop levels in the region and bombing vessels thought to carry drugs against Venezuela’s Maduro, the US also carried out operations on maritime targets in the eastern Pacific region near Colombia.
