Donald Trump along with President Gustavo Petro have escalated the tone in their verbal conflict, further raising strains bilaterally after US forces struck Venezuela in an operation to oust President Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He has cocaine mills and processing labs and that won't last much longer," the US president stated.
Escalating Threats and Allegations
Talking to reporters on Sunday, the American leader threatened analogous armed intervention against Bogotá, stating Colombia is also "very ill" and “run by a sick man who enjoys creating narcotics and trafficking it to the United States."
Although Colombia remains the leading cocaine-producing country, there is no evidence implicating Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is directly tied to the illicit industry.
A Deteriorating Relationship
This nation has long been a close partner of the United States in the campaign against drug trafficking and received cross-party backing in the US capital, but relations have worsened significantly after Trump assumed the presidency.
Its narcotics trade is largely controlled by illegal armed groups including the Clan del Golfo, another leftist insurgency and renegade units of the former Farc guerrillas, a large contingent of whom demobilised after a historic peace agreement.
Petro's Strong Rebuttal
When asked whether armed intervention like that in Venezuela was on the cards against his country, Trump replied: "I like the sound of that to me personally."
President Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who disarmed decades ago, firmly denied these allegations. "I am no illegitimate and I am not involved in narcotics," he declared.
"Trump speaks uninformed. End the false accusations," he posted in a post.
"Should American forces attack peasants, they will turn into thousands of guerrillas in the mountains. If they capture me, which a significant portion of Colombians holds in high esteem, they will provoke the fierce spirit of the nation," Petro warned.
From Fighter to President
He passed part of his youth belonging with the radical M-19 guerrilla group but is not believed that he never participated in combat. After demobilizing, he took part in writing the nation's constitution in 1991 and eventually served as a respected lawmaker. He served as mayor of the Colombian capital prior to his election the presidency.
"I swore to never again hold arms again ... but for the homeland I would take up arms again," he said.
Increased Security and Broad Opposition
Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that the president’s protection team had been reinforced.
Several members of Colombia’s right wing opposition have sided with Trump's stance, but voices from across Colombian politics have denounced the notion of American military action against their nation.
Bilateral and Economic Pressure
Washington cancelled Petro’s visa after he called on American soldiers to ignore orders that violate law. In October, the US enacted economic restrictions on Petro, his wife and various close collaborators.
Concurrently the US was building up its military presence in the Caribbean and bombing vessels thought to carry drugs to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, the US executed strikes on boats in the eastern Pacific region near Colombia.
