Donald Trump along with his Colombian counterpart have intensified the rhetoric in their verbal conflict, increasing tensions between the two countries after American military units targeted Venezuela to remove President Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He has narcotics facilities and processing labs and is not going to be doing it very long," the US president stated.
Rising Threats and Claims
Talking to the press over the weekend, the US president hinted at similar armed intervention towards the South American nation, asserting the nation is “very sick too” and led by an unwell individual involved in producing narcotics and distributing it to the United States."
Although Colombia remains the globe's biggest cocaine-producing country, there is no evidence implicating Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is personally involved in the trade.
A Deteriorating Alliance
This nation was historically a key ally of the US in the struggle against narcotics trade and received wide political approval in the US capital, however, the relationship have worsened significantly after Trump came to office.
Colombia’s narcotics trade is predominantly run by criminal organizations such as the Golf Clan, another leftist insurgency and renegade units of the demobilized Farc, most of its former fighters disbanded following a landmark accord.
Colombia's Firm Rebuttal
In response to a query if military intervention similar to Venezuela was being considered for Colombia, Trump replied: "That seems like a good idea from my perspective."
President Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who disarmed in the last century, firmly denied the accusations. "I am neither illegitimate nor am I a narco," he stated.
"The US president speaks without information. Stop slandering me," he expressed in a post.
"Should American forces attack peasants, they will transform into thousands of guerrillas in the hills. And if they detain me, whom a significant portion of the country loves and respects, they will unleash the ‘jaguar’ of the nation," the president cautioned.
From Fighter to Leader
The president dedicated some years as a young man as a member in the left-wing M-19 guerrilla group but is not believed to have ever took part in armed clashes. Upon leaving the group, he participated in writing a new constitution in the early 90s and later became a prominent senator. He was mayor of the capital city before winning the nation's highest office.
"I pledged to never again hold arms again ... but for Colombia I will take up weapons once more," he vowed.
Increased Security and Widespread Condemnation
The Colombian defence minister announced that Petro's security detail had been reinforced.
A segment of Colombia’s right wing opposition have sided with Trump, but voices spanning the political spectrum have condemned the threats of a US attack on Colombia.
Diplomatic and Economic Strains
The US revoked the president's entry visa after he called on American soldiers to disobey unlawful commands. In October, the US enacted financial sanctions against the president, the first lady and a number of key allies.
Simultaneously while America bolstered its troop levels in the Caribbean and striking alleged narcotics traffickers against Venezuela’s Maduro, the US also carried out operations on boats off the Pacific coast near Colombia.
