Donald Trump along with Colombia's president have turned up the rhetoric of their war of words, further raising strains between the two countries following American military units targeted Venezuela to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He runs cocaine mills and production sites and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump remarked.
Escalating Threats and Accusations
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump threatened comparable armed intervention towards the South American nation, stating Colombia faces serious problems and led by a sick man who likes making narcotics and trafficking it to America."
Although Colombia stands as the world’s largest source of the narcotic, there is no evidence that President Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is personally involved in the trade.
A Deteriorating Relationship
The country for decades served as a key ally of the US in the struggle against narcotics trade and enjoyed bipartisan support from American politicians, however, the relationship have deteriorated markedly after Trump was elected.
Colombia’s narcotics trade is predominantly run by criminal organizations such as one major cartel, the ELN guerrilla group and renegade units of the former Farc guerrillas, a large contingent of whom disbanded following a landmark accord.
Colombia's Firm Response
Upon being questioned if military intervention comparable to Venezuela was on the cards for Colombia, Trump responded: "I like the sound of that to me."
Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who left armed struggle decades ago, rejected the accusations. "I am no illegitimate and I am not a drug trafficker," he declared.
"The US president speaks uninformed. Stop slandering me," he wrote in a message.
"Should American forces attack civilians, they will turn into a multitude of fighters across the countryside. If they capture the president, which a significant portion of Colombians holds in high esteem, they will release the fierce spirit of the people," Petro warned.
From Fighter to Statesman
Petro spent a period in his early life participating with the radical M-19 insurgent movement although reports indicate that he never engaged in fighting. After demobilizing, he took part in drafting a new constitution in 1991 subsequently becoming a prominent senator. He was mayor of the capital city before winning president.
"I made a vow to abstain from using a gun ... but for Colombia I shall resume weapons once more," he said.
Heightened Measures along with Cross-Political Condemnation
Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that the national leader's protection team had received additional support.
Several members of Colombia’s conservative opposition have expressed support with the US president, yet figures from across the ideological divide have rejected the notion of a US attack on Colombia.
Political and Financial Strains
The US cancelled his travel authorization following he called on US military personnel to disobey any illegal orders. Months later, it placed economic restrictions targeting Petro, his spouse and a number of close collaborators.
Simultaneously as the US increased its military presence in the Caribbean and targeting vessels thought to carry drugs to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets also carried out operations on maritime targets in the eastern Pacific region near Colombia.
