President Trump and his Colombian counterpart have intensified the volume in their verbal conflict, heightening strains between the two countries following US forces attacked Venezuela with the aim of deposing Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He runs drug factories and production sites and that won't last much longer," Trump remarked.
Growing Rhetoric and Accusations
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, the US president threatened similar use of force against Colombia, stating the nation faces serious problems and “run by a sick man involved in producing narcotics and selling it to the US."
While Colombia stands as the globe's biggest cocaine-producing country, authorities have found no indication implicating Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is directly connected to the illicit industry.
A Deteriorating Partnership
The country was historically a close partner of the US in the fight against narcotics trade and received bipartisan support in Washington, yet ties have worsened significantly since Trump assumed the presidency.
The nation's narcotics trade is predominantly run by guerrilla factions including the Clan del Golfo, another leftist insurgency and renegade units of the former Farc guerrillas, the majority of whose members laid down arms subsequent to a historic peace agreement.
The President's Strong Answer
When asked if a military operation similar to Venezuela was a possibility against his country, Trump responded: "It sounds good to me personally."
The Colombian leader, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who left armed struggle in the last century, firmly denied these allegations. "I am neither an illegitimate leader and I am not involved in narcotics," he stated.
"The US president speaks without information. Cease defaming me," he expressed in a message.
"If they [the US] bomb civilians, they will turn into a multitude of fighters in the mountains. And should they arrest the nation's leader, which a large part of the country loves and respects, they will unleash the powerful force of the people," he admonished.
From Guerrilla to President
Petro spent some years as a young man belonging in the left-wing M-19 insurgent movement but is not believed that he never engaged in fighting. Upon leaving the group, he participated in creating the constitutional rewrite in 1991 subsequently becoming an influential politician. He held the office of mayor of the Colombian capital before being elected the presidency.
"I swore to abstain from using a gun ... but in defense of my country I will take up arms again," he vowed.
Heightened Measures along with Cross-Political Condemnation
Colombia's defense chief announced that the national leader's personal security was strengthened.
Several members of Colombia’s political right have allied themselves with the US president, yet figures from all sides of the political spectrum have rejected the threats of an invasion on Colombia.
Bilateral and Financial Pressure
American authorities cancelled the president's entry visa following he urged American soldiers to ignore orders that violate law. In October, authorities imposed asset freezes targeting Petro, his wife and several associates.
Concurrently the US was building up its troop levels in the Caribbean and striking vessels thought to carry drugs to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, the US also carried out attacks against vessels in Pacific waters off the Colombian coast.
