President Trump along with Colombia's president have intensified the tone of their war of words, increasing tensions between the two countries following US forces targeted Venezuela to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He operates drug factories and cocaine factories and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump remarked.
Escalating Rhetoric and Allegations
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump hinted at analogous armed intervention against Colombia, stating the nation is also "very ill" and governed by a sick man who enjoys creating the drug and selling it to the US."
While Colombia remains the leading producer of cocaine, there is no evidence that President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is directly involved in the trade.
A Deteriorating Alliance
The country was historically a key ally of Washington in the fight against drug trafficking and benefited from cross-party backing from American politicians, however, the relationship have deteriorated dramatically since Trump was elected.
Its narcotics trade is largely controlled by guerrilla factions including the Golf Clan, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and breakaway groups of the former Farc guerrillas, most of its former fighters laid down arms subsequent to a historic peace agreement.
Colombia's Firm Answer
Upon being questioned if military intervention like that in Venezuela was a possibility against his country, Trump replied: "That seems like a good idea to me."
Petro, an ex-guerrilla fighter who left armed struggle in the 1990s, categorically refuted these allegations. "I am neither illegitimate and I am not involved in narcotics," he stated.
"The US president speaks uninformed. Stop slandering me," he expressed online.
"If US bombs target rural communities, they will turn into numerous insurgents across the countryside. And if they detain the president, which a significant portion of Colombians holds in high esteem, they will provoke the powerful force of the nation," Petro warned.
From Fighter to Leader
The president dedicated part of his youth as a member of the leftist M-19 armed organization though it is believed he did not took part in armed clashes. Following his disarmament, he was involved in writing the constitutional rewrite over three decades ago and later became a respected lawmaker. He held the office of mayor of the capital city before winning the presidency.
"I pledged to never again hold arms again ... but for Colombia I would take up the fight," he affirmed.
Heightened Measures and Widespread Condemnation
Minister Pedro Sánchez reported that Petro's personal security had received additional support.
Several members of Colombia’s conservative opposition have allied themselves with the US president, yet figures spanning the ideological divide have rejected the notion of an invasion on Colombia.
Bilateral and Financial Pressure
The US cancelled the president's entry visa after he called on US troops to ignore orders that violate law. In October, authorities imposed asset freezes against the president, his wife and various associates.
At the same time as the US increased its military presence in the Caribbean and targeting vessels thought to carry drugs to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets also carried out operations on maritime targets off the Pacific coast adjacent to Colombia.
