President Trump along with President Gustavo Petro have intensified the volume of their war of words, heightening strains in their relations after US forces attacked Venezuela in an operation to oust Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He has drug factories and processing labs and his time is running out," the US president stated.
Escalating Tensions coupled with Allegations
Talking to reporters over the weekend, Trump threatened comparable armed intervention towards the South American nation, claiming the country is also "very ill" and led by a problematic figure who enjoys creating cocaine and selling it to the United States."
Although Colombia is the world’s largest producer of cocaine, there is no evidence that President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is directly tied to the trade.
A Strained Relationship
This nation has long been a staunch collaborator of the United States in the fight combating drug cartels and benefited from bipartisan support in the US capital, but relations have deteriorated markedly after Trump was elected.
The nation's drug trade is predominantly run by illegal armed groups including the Golf Clan, another leftist insurgency and renegade units of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), a large contingent of whom disbanded after a 2016 peace deal.
The President's Defiant Rebuttal
In response to a query if armed intervention similar to Venezuela was on the cards regarding Colombia, Trump responded: "It sounds good from my perspective."
Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who left armed struggle in the last century, firmly denied these allegations. "I am neither illegitimate and certainly not involved in narcotics," he stated.
"He comments uninformed. End the false accusations," he expressed in a message.
"If they [the US] bomb rural communities, they will turn into a multitude of fighters in the hills. And if they detain the nation's leader, whom a large part of Colombians admires and supports, they will release the ‘jaguar’ of the populace," the president cautioned.
From Fighter to President
He passed some years as a young man participating with the radical M-19 armed organization but is not believed he did not engaged in fighting. Upon leaving the group, he was involved in drafting the constitutional rewrite over three decades ago subsequently becoming a respected lawmaker. He served as mayor of the capital city before winning the nation's highest office.
"I made a vow to abstain from using a gun ... but for Colombia I will take up the fight," he said.
Increased Security and Cross-Political Condemnation
Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that the national leader's protection team had been reinforced.
A segment of Colombia’s right wing opposition have expressed support with Trump's stance, however, leaders spanning the political spectrum have rejected the possibility of a US attack on Colombia.
Bilateral and Financial Sanctions
American authorities cancelled the president's entry visa following he called on US troops to disobey unlawful commands. Later, in October, the US enacted asset freezes against the president, his wife and various close collaborators.
Simultaneously the US was building up its military presence in the region and bombing vessels thought to carry drugs against Venezuela’s Maduro, the US also carried out attacks on boats in the eastern Pacific region adjacent to Colombia.
