President Trump and his Colombian counterpart have turned up the rhetoric in their verbal conflict, further raising strains in their relations after American military units struck Venezuela to remove President Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He runs drug factories and production sites and that won't last much longer," the US president stated.
Escalating Rhetoric and Accusations
Addressing journalists over the weekend, the US president threatened comparable use of force towards the South American nation, asserting Colombia faces serious problems and “run by a sick man involved in producing the drug and distributing it to the United States."
Although Colombia remains the globe's biggest cocaine-producing country, authorities have found no indication that President Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is directly tied to the business.
A Strained Alliance
Colombia for decades served as a close partner of Washington in the campaign combating drug cartels and benefited from wide political approval in Washington, but relations have soured dramatically following Trump assumed the presidency.
The nation's illicit drug economy is predominantly run by criminal organizations such as the Golf Clan, another leftist insurgency and dissident factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), the majority of whose members disbanded after a historic peace agreement.
Colombia's Defiant Rebuttal
When asked whether a military operation like that in Venezuela was being considered for Colombia, Trump responded: "That seems like a good idea to me personally."
The Colombian leader, a former leftist guerrilla who left armed struggle decades ago, rejected these allegations. "I am neither illegitimate and I am not a narco," he affirmed.
"He comments without information. Stop slandering me," he posted online.
"If they [the US] bomb peasants, they will turn into thousands of guerrillas in the mountains. And should they arrest the nation's leader, which a large part of the population admires and supports, they will unleash the ‘jaguar’ of the people," Petro warned.
From Insurgent to Leader
The president dedicated some years as a young man as a member with the radical M-19 insurgent movement but is not believed he did not engaged in fighting. Upon leaving the group, he took part in writing the constitutional rewrite in the early 90s subsequently becoming an influential politician. He held the office of mayor of the capital city before winning the presidency.
"I swore to never again hold a gun ... but in defense of my country I would take up the fight," he said.
Reinforced Protection and Widespread Opposition
Colombia's defense chief stated that Petro's security detail had received additional support.
Several members of Colombia’s political right have expressed support with Trump's stance, however, leaders from all sides of the ideological divide have condemned the notion of a US attack targeting Colombia.
Diplomatic and Economic Pressure
Washington cancelled Petro’s visa subsequent to he encouraged American soldiers to refuse unlawful commands. In October, the US enacted financial sanctions targeting Petro, his wife and various key allies.
Concurrently the US was building up its forces near Venezuela and targeting alleged narcotics traffickers to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, the US have also conducted operations on maritime targets in Pacific waters near Colombia.
