President Trump along with Colombia's president have turned up the rhetoric of their war of words, further raising tensions in their relations after American military units attacked Venezuela to remove President Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He has narcotics facilities and production sites and is not going to be doing it very long," the US president stated.
Escalating Tensions and Allegations
Addressing the press on Sunday, the US president threatened similar armed intervention against Colombia, asserting the nation is also "very ill" and “run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and trafficking it to the US."
Although Colombia is the world’s largest source of the narcotic, there is no evidence implicating Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is directly connected to the trade.
A Frayed Alliance
This nation for decades served as a close partner of the United States in the campaign against narcotics trade and benefited from cross-party backing in the US capital, but relations have soured dramatically after Trump assumed the presidency.
The nation's narcotics trade is mainly overseen by guerrilla factions such as the Clan del Golfo, the ELN guerrilla group and dissident factions of the former Farc guerrillas, the majority of whose members laid down arms following a 2016 peace deal.
The President's Firm Rebuttal
Upon being questioned if a military operation similar to Venezuela was on the cards for Colombia, Trump responded: "I like the sound of that to me personally."
President Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who demobilised decades ago, rejected Trump's claims. "I am no illegitimate and certainly not a drug trafficker," he stated.
"Trump speaks uninformed. Cease defaming me," he wrote online.
"If they [the US] bomb peasants, they will turn into a multitude of fighters across the countryside. And if they detain the president, whom a large part of the population admires and supports, they will release the fierce spirit of the populace," he admonished.
From Fighter to Leader
The president dedicated some years as a young man belonging in the left-wing M-19 insurgent movement although reports indicate to have ever participated in combat. Upon leaving the group, he was involved in drafting a new constitution over three decades ago and later became an influential politician. He held the office of mayor of Bogotá prior to his election president.
"I made a vow to abstain from using a weapon again ... but for the homeland I shall resume arms again," he said.
Heightened Measures along with Widespread Opposition
The Colombian defence minister announced that Petro's personal security had received additional support.
A segment of Colombia’s right wing opposition have allied themselves with Trump, however, leaders from all sides of the ideological divide have condemned the possibility of an invasion targeting Colombia.
Diplomatic and Economic Pressure
American authorities cancelled his travel authorization following he urged US military personnel to disobey unlawful commands. In October, authorities imposed financial sanctions on Petro, his spouse and various close collaborators.
Simultaneously the US was building up its forces in the Caribbean and striking alleged narcotics traffickers to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces also carried out strikes against vessels in the eastern Pacific region off the Colombian coast.
