The US President and his Colombian counterpart have turned up the volume in their verbal conflict, heightening tensions in their relations following American military units attacked Venezuela in an operation to oust Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He has drug factories and cocaine factories and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump remarked.
Escalating Rhetoric and Allegations
Talking to the press over the weekend, Trump suggested analogous use of force against Colombia, claiming the nation faces serious problems and governed by an unwell individual who enjoys creating cocaine and trafficking it to America."
While Colombia remains the leading source of the narcotic, there is no evidence linking President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is in any way involved in the illicit industry.
A Strained Relationship
This nation was historically a staunch collaborator of the United States in the campaign against drug trafficking and benefited from bipartisan support in the US capital, yet ties have soured significantly since Trump was elected.
Colombia’s drug trade is mainly overseen by illegal armed groups such as one major cartel, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and dissident factions of the demobilized Farc, the majority of whose members disbanded after a landmark accord.
The President's Defiant Answer
Upon being questioned whether armed intervention similar to Venezuela was a possibility for Colombia, Trump replied: "I like the sound of that to me personally."
Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who demobilised in the 1990s, firmly denied Trump's claims. "I am not illegitimate and I am not involved in narcotics," he declared.
"Trump speaks without information. Stop slandering me," he posted online.
"If they [the US] bomb rural communities, they will transform into thousands of guerrillas in the mountains. If they capture the nation's leader, whom a significant portion of the population loves and respects, they will provoke the ‘jaguar’ of the nation," Petro warned.
From Insurgent to President
He passed some years as a young man participating in the left-wing M-19 insurgent movement but is not believed that he never participated in combat. Upon leaving the group, he took part in drafting the nation's constitution in 1991 subsequently becoming a prominent senator. He was mayor of Bogotá before being elected president.
"I made a vow to abstain from using a weapon again ... but in defense of my country I would take up arms again," he affirmed.
Heightened Measures and Broad Condemnation
Colombia's defense chief reported that the president’s protection team had been reinforced.
Many among Colombia’s right wing opposition have expressed support with the US president, however, leaders from all sides of the political spectrum have condemned the possibility of a US attack on Colombia.
Bilateral and Financial Pressure
American authorities revoked Petro’s visa after he called on American soldiers to ignore orders that violate law. Months later, authorities imposed financial sanctions targeting Petro, the first lady and several key allies.
Concurrently the US was building up its forces in the Caribbean and striking alleged narcotics traffickers against Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces executed attacks on maritime targets in Pacific waters adjacent to Colombia.
