The US President and Colombia's president have intensified the rhetoric in their verbal conflict, heightening tensions between the two countries following US forces attacked Venezuela to remove President Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He runs cocaine mills and cocaine factories and his time is running out," Trump remarked.
Growing Rhetoric and Allegations
Talking to reporters over the weekend, the American leader suggested analogous armed intervention towards the South American nation, claiming Colombia is also "very ill" and “run by a problematic figure who enjoys creating the drug and selling it to America."
While Colombia stands as the leading source of the narcotic, authorities have found no indication that President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is directly tied to the illicit industry.
A Frayed Relationship
This nation for decades served as a key ally of the United States in the campaign combating drug cartels and benefited from bipartisan support in the US capital, yet ties have deteriorated dramatically following Trump came to office.
The nation's drug trade is mainly overseen by illegal armed groups like the Golf Clan, the ELN guerrilla group and renegade units of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), the majority of whose members disbanded after a landmark accord.
The President's Firm Rebuttal
When asked if armed intervention like that in Venezuela was on the cards regarding Colombia, Trump responded: "It sounds good to me personally."
Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who demobilised in the last century, categorically refuted these allegations. "I am neither an illegitimate leader and certainly not a drug trafficker," he declared.
"He comments without information. End the false accusations," he posted online.
"If US bombs target peasants, they will turn into a multitude of fighters in the hills. And if they detain the president, which many of the country admires and supports, they will unleash the powerful force of the populace," he admonished.
From Guerrilla to Statesman
Petro spent a period in his early life belonging of the leftist M-19 armed organization though it is believed he did not participated in combat. Upon leaving the group, he was involved in drafting the constitutional rewrite in the early 90s and later became an influential politician. He was mayor of Bogotá before being elected the presidency.
"I swore not to touch arms again ... but for the homeland I would take up the fight," he affirmed.
Heightened Measures along with Widespread Rejection
Colombia's defense chief announced that the president’s security detail had been reinforced.
Several members of Colombia’s political right have sided with the US president, yet figures spanning the political spectrum have denounced the possibility of a US attack targeting Colombia.
Diplomatic and Financial Sanctions
The US cancelled the president's entry visa after he called on American soldiers to disobey orders that violate law. Months later, the US enacted economic restrictions against the president, the first lady and several associates.
Simultaneously while America bolstered its forces near Venezuela and bombing vessels thought to carry drugs against Venezuela’s Maduro, the US executed strikes on boats in Pacific waters adjacent to Colombia.
