Donald Trump along with President Gustavo Petro have turned up the rhetoric in their verbal conflict, increasing strains between the two countries after American military units struck Venezuela in an operation to oust President Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He has narcotics facilities and processing labs and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.
Rising Rhetoric coupled with Allegations
Talking to the press over the weekend, Trump suggested analogous military action against Colombia, stating the nation faces serious problems and governed by an unwell individual who enjoys creating cocaine and distributing it to the US."
While Colombia is the world’s largest source of the narcotic, authorities have found no indication that President Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is in any way connected to the trade.
A Frayed Partnership
The country has long been a close partner of Washington in the fight combating drug cartels and benefited from bipartisan support from American politicians, however, the relationship have worsened dramatically after Trump assumed the presidency.
The nation's drug trade is largely controlled by illegal armed groups like the Clan del Golfo, the ELN guerrilla group and renegade units of the demobilized Farc, most of its former fighters demobilised after a landmark accord.
Petro's Defiant Response
When asked if armed intervention like that in Venezuela was a possibility for Colombia, Trump replied: "It sounds good to me."
President Petro, an ex-guerrilla fighter who disarmed in the 1990s, categorically refuted these allegations. "I am no illegitimate nor am I involved in narcotics," he stated.
"He comments uninformed. Cease defaming me," he posted in a post.
"If they [the US] bomb rural communities, they will transform into thousands of guerrillas in the hills. And should they arrest the president, whom many of the country holds in high esteem, they will unleash the powerful force of the nation," Petro warned.
From Insurgent to President
Petro spent a period in his early life participating in the left-wing M-19 insurgent movement but is not believed he did not participated in combat. Upon leaving the group, he participated in drafting the nation's constitution in 1991 subsequently becoming a respected lawmaker. He served as mayor of the capital city before winning the nation's highest office.
"I pledged to abstain from using a weapon again ... but in defense of my country I shall resume the fight," he said.
Reinforced Protection and Widespread Opposition
Colombia's defense chief reported that the national leader's security detail had received additional support.
Several members of Colombia’s conservative opposition have allied themselves with Trump, yet figures spanning the ideological divide have condemned the notion of American military action targeting Colombia.
Diplomatic and Economic Sanctions
American authorities cancelled Petro’s visa after he called on American soldiers to refuse orders that violate law. In October, it placed asset freezes against the president, the first lady and several key allies.
Concurrently the US was building up its military presence in the Caribbean and bombing vessels thought to carry drugs to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces also carried out attacks against vessels in the eastern Pacific region near Colombia.
