The US President and his Colombian counterpart have escalated the rhetoric of their war of words, further raising strains bilaterally following American military units targeted Venezuela with the aim of deposing Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He has cocaine mills and processing labs and that won't last much longer," the US president stated.
Growing Rhetoric and Allegations
Speaking to journalists over the weekend, Trump threatened analogous use of force towards the South American nation, stating Colombia is also "very ill" and governed by a sick man who enjoys creating the drug and distributing it to the US."
Although Colombia stands as the globe's biggest producer of cocaine, authorities have found no indication implicating Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is in any way connected to the trade.
A Frayed Relationship
Colombia for decades served as a staunch collaborator of Washington in the struggle against narcotics trade and enjoyed bipartisan support from American politicians, yet ties have deteriorated significantly since Trump came to office.
Its narcotics trade is predominantly run by criminal organizations such as one major cartel, the ELN guerrilla group and renegade units of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), a large contingent of whom disbanded subsequent to a landmark accord.
Petro's Strong Answer
Upon being questioned whether military intervention similar to Venezuela was on the cards against his country, Trump responded: "That seems like a good idea from my perspective."
Petro, an ex-guerrilla fighter who demobilised decades ago, rejected Trump's claims. "I am neither illegitimate and certainly not involved in narcotics," he affirmed.
"The US president speaks uninformed. Cease defaming me," he wrote online.
"If US bombs target rural communities, they will become numerous insurgents in the hills. And should they arrest me, whom a significant portion of Colombians holds in high esteem, they will unleash the ‘jaguar’ of the people," he admonished.
From Guerrilla to President
The president dedicated some years as a young man belonging of the leftist M-19 armed organization but is not believed to have ever took part in armed clashes. Following his disarmament, he took part in writing the constitutional rewrite over three decades ago subsequently becoming an influential politician. He held the office of mayor of the Colombian capital before winning the nation's highest office.
"I pledged not to touch a weapon again ... but in defense of my country I will take up weapons once more," he affirmed.
Reinforced Protection along with Cross-Political Rejection
The Colombian defence minister reported that the president’s protection team had received additional support.
A segment of Colombia’s conservative opposition have sided with Trump's stance, but voices spanning the ideological divide have rejected the possibility of a US attack against their nation.
Political and Financial Pressure
Washington revoked the president's entry visa subsequent to he encouraged US military personnel to disobey unlawful commands. Later, in October, the US enacted financial sanctions on Petro, his wife and various close collaborators.
Simultaneously the US was building up its troop levels in the Caribbean and bombing vessels thought to carry drugs against Venezuela’s Maduro, the US executed attacks on maritime targets off the Pacific coast off the Colombian coast.
