President Trump and Colombia's president have escalated the volume of their war of words, increasing strains between the two countries following US forces struck Venezuela to remove President Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He has drug factories and cocaine factories and his time is running out," the US president stated.
Growing Tensions and Accusations
Speaking to reporters over the weekend, the US president threatened similar armed intervention against Colombia, asserting the nation is also "very ill" and “run by a problematic figure who enjoys creating the drug and trafficking it to the United States."
While Colombia remains the globe's biggest source of the narcotic, there is no evidence that President Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is directly connected to the illicit industry.
A Deteriorating Relationship
The country for decades served as a key ally of Washington in the struggle against drug trafficking and received bipartisan support in Washington, yet ties have soured markedly following Trump was elected.
The nation's drug trade is mainly overseen by criminal organizations such as the Golf Clan, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and dissident factions of the former Farc guerrillas, the majority of whose members disbanded subsequent to a historic peace agreement.
Petro's Firm Rebuttal
Upon being questioned if military intervention similar to Venezuela was being considered regarding Colombia, Trump said: "It sounds good to me."
Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who left armed struggle in the 1990s, categorically refuted the accusations. "I am no an illegitimate leader nor am I a narco," he declared.
"He comments uninformed. End the false accusations," he posted in a post.
"If US bombs target rural communities, they will transform into thousands of guerrillas in the mountains. And if they detain me, which a large part of the population holds in high esteem, they will unleash the fierce spirit of the people," Petro warned.
From Fighter to President
The president dedicated some years as a young man participating with the radical M-19 armed organization though it is believed to have ever participated in combat. Upon leaving the group, he participated in writing the constitutional rewrite in 1991 and eventually served as an influential politician. He held the office of mayor of Bogotá before winning president.
"I swore not to touch a weapon again ... but for the homeland I shall resume the fight," he affirmed.
Heightened Measures along with Broad Rejection
Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that the national leader's personal security had received additional support.
A segment of Colombia’s right wing opposition have allied themselves with Trump, but voices from all sides of the political spectrum have condemned the notion of American military action targeting Colombia.
Political and Financial Pressure
The US revoked his travel authorization after he called on US military personnel to ignore unlawful commands. In October, the US enacted economic restrictions on Petro, the first lady and several key allies.
Simultaneously as the US increased its forces in the region and striking suspected drug boats against Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets also carried out strikes against vessels off the Pacific coast off the Colombian coast.
