The US President and President Gustavo Petro have intensified the tone of their war of words, increasing tensions between the two countries following US forces struck Venezuela in an operation to oust Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He has narcotics facilities and processing labs and is not going to be doing it very long," the US president stated.
Growing Tensions coupled with Accusations
Speaking to journalists over the weekend, the US president suggested comparable use of force towards the South American nation, stating Colombia is also "very ill" and “run by a sick man who enjoys creating narcotics and distributing it to the US."
While Colombia is the globe's biggest producer of cocaine, authorities have found no indication linking President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is personally tied to the business.
A Strained Relationship
Colombia for decades served as a close partner of the US in the struggle combating drug cartels and benefited from wide political approval in Washington, but relations have worsened markedly since Trump assumed the presidency.
The nation's drug trade is predominantly run by guerrilla factions including one major cartel, another leftist insurgency and renegade units of the demobilized Farc, most of its former fighters demobilised subsequent to a historic peace agreement.
Petro's Defiant Rebuttal
Upon being questioned whether military intervention similar to Venezuela was a possibility for Colombia, Trump said: "It sounds good to me."
The Colombian leader, an ex-guerrilla fighter who left armed struggle in the last century, firmly denied the accusations. "I am no an illegitimate leader and certainly not a narco," he stated.
"The US president speaks without information. Cease defaming me," he wrote online.
"If US bombs target rural communities, they will transform into numerous insurgents across the countryside. If they capture the president, which a significant portion of the population loves and respects, they will release the powerful force of the people," the president cautioned.
From Guerrilla to Statesman
He passed some years as a young man participating of the leftist M-19 armed organization although reports indicate that he never engaged in fighting. After demobilizing, he participated in drafting a new constitution in the early 90s and eventually served as an influential politician. He was mayor of the capital city before being elected president.
"I made a vow to never again hold arms again ... but in defense of my country I shall resume arms again," he said.
Heightened Measures and Cross-Political Opposition
The Colombian defence minister stated that the president’s security detail was strengthened.
Many among Colombia’s conservative opposition have sided with Trump's stance, yet figures from across Colombian politics have condemned the notion of American military action on Colombia.
Political and Financial Strains
Washington cancelled the president's entry visa following he encouraged American soldiers to ignore any illegal orders. Later, in October, authorities imposed financial sanctions against the president, the first lady and several key allies.
Concurrently while America bolstered its military presence in the Caribbean and bombing alleged narcotics traffickers against Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces have also conducted operations on maritime targets off the Pacific coast off the Colombian coast.
