The US President along with Colombia's president have escalated the tone of their exchange, heightening strains bilaterally following American military units attacked Venezuela in an operation to oust President Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He operates narcotics facilities and production sites and is not going to be doing it very long," the US president stated.
Escalating Threats and Accusations
Talking to reporters over the weekend, the US president hinted at similar armed intervention against Colombia, claiming the nation is “very sick too” and led by a problematic figure involved in producing the drug and selling it to America."
While Colombia is the world’s largest source of the narcotic, there is no evidence that President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is directly tied to the trade.
A Frayed Partnership
The country has long been a staunch collaborator of the United States in the fight combating drug cartels and benefited from bipartisan support in Washington, however, the relationship have deteriorated markedly after Trump was elected.
Its illicit drug economy is predominantly run by guerrilla factions including the Golf Clan, another leftist insurgency and breakaway groups of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), a large contingent of whom demobilised subsequent to a 2016 peace deal.
Petro's Defiant Rebuttal
When asked if military intervention like that in Venezuela was on the cards regarding Colombia, Trump said: "It sounds good to me personally."
Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who left armed struggle in the last century, firmly denied the accusations. "I am neither illegitimate and certainly not involved in narcotics," he declared.
"He comments uninformed. End the false accusations," he wrote online.
"If US bombs target rural communities, they will transform into a multitude of fighters in the mountains. If they capture the president, which a significant portion of the population holds in high esteem, they will release the ‘jaguar’ of the people," he admonished.
From Fighter to Leader
The president dedicated a period in his early life as a member of the leftist M-19 armed organization but is not believed he did not participated in combat. After demobilizing, he took part in writing the nation's constitution in the early 90s and later became a respected lawmaker. He served as mayor of the capital city before winning president.
"I made a vow not to touch a gun ... but for Colombia I will take up weapons once more," he affirmed.
Reinforced Protection and Cross-Political Opposition
The Colombian defence minister stated that the president’s protection team had been reinforced.
Several members of Colombia’s right wing opposition have allied themselves with Trump, however, leaders from all sides of the political spectrum have denounced the notion of American military action targeting Colombia.
Diplomatic and Economic Strains
American authorities cancelled his travel authorization subsequent to he encouraged American soldiers to disobey orders that violate law. In October, it placed financial sanctions on Petro, his spouse and a number of close collaborators.
Concurrently the US was building up its forces in the region and bombing vessels thought to carry drugs to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, the US have also conducted operations against vessels off the Pacific coast adjacent to Colombia.
