The US President along with Colombia's president have turned up the volume of their exchange, increasing strains in their relations after American military units targeted Venezuela to remove President Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He has drug factories and cocaine factories and is not going to be doing it very long," the US president stated.
Growing Rhetoric and Claims
Speaking to reporters over the weekend, the US president threatened similar use of force towards the South American nation, stating Colombia is also "very ill" and led by a problematic figure involved in producing the drug and distributing it to the US."
While Colombia remains the globe's biggest cocaine-producing country, no proof exists implicating Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is directly connected to the illicit industry.
A Strained Alliance
Colombia has long been a close partner of the US in the struggle against narcotics trade and received bipartisan support in the US capital, however, the relationship have soured significantly after Trump came to office.
Colombia’s narcotics trade is mainly overseen by criminal organizations including the Clan del Golfo, the ELN guerrilla group and breakaway groups of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), a large contingent of whom disbanded following a historic peace agreement.
The President's Strong Rebuttal
When asked whether armed intervention like that in Venezuela was a possibility regarding Colombia, Trump replied: "That seems like a good idea from my perspective."
Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who demobilised in the last century, rejected these allegations. "I am neither illegitimate nor am I involved in narcotics," he declared.
"The US president speaks uninformed. Stop slandering me," he wrote in a message.
"Should American forces attack rural communities, they will transform into numerous insurgents in the hills. And should they arrest the president, which a large part of the population admires and supports, they will provoke the ‘jaguar’ of the people," the president cautioned.
From Fighter to Leader
The president dedicated part of his youth as a member with the radical M-19 guerrilla group though it is believed he did not participated in combat. Following his disarmament, he was involved in drafting a new constitution in the early 90s subsequently becoming an influential politician. He served as mayor of the capital city before being elected the nation's highest office.
"I made a vow to never again hold arms again ... but for Colombia I would take up weapons once more," he said.
Increased Security along with Cross-Political Condemnation
Colombia's defense chief stated that the president’s security detail had been reinforced.
Many among Colombia’s political right have sided with the US president, but voices spanning the ideological divide have condemned the possibility of American military action on Colombia.
Political and Economic Strains
American authorities cancelled Petro’s visa following he urged US military personnel to disobey orders that violate law. Later, in October, the US enacted economic restrictions against the president, the first lady and various close collaborators.
Simultaneously the US was building up its forces near Venezuela and bombing suspected drug boats against Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets have also conducted operations against vessels off the Pacific coast near Colombia.
