Donald Trump along with Colombia's president have turned up the rhetoric of their war of words, increasing tensions in their relations after US forces targeted Venezuela to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He has narcotics facilities and processing labs and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.
Rising Rhetoric and Allegations
Talking to the press over the weekend, the US president hinted at analogous use of force towards the South American nation, claiming Colombia is “very sick too” and “run by a problematic figure who likes making the drug and distributing it to America."
Although Colombia is the leading producer of cocaine, authorities have found no indication implicating Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is directly involved in the illicit industry.
A Strained Alliance
The country for decades served as a close partner of the United States in the struggle against drug trafficking and benefited from cross-party backing in Washington, but relations have deteriorated markedly after Trump came to office.
Colombia’s illicit drug economy is mainly overseen by criminal organizations such as one major cartel, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and renegade units of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), the majority of whose members demobilised following a historic peace agreement.
Petro's Defiant Rebuttal
In response to a query whether armed intervention like that in Venezuela was on the cards for Colombia, Trump said: "That seems like a good idea from my perspective."
Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who demobilised in the 1990s, firmly denied these allegations. "I am neither illegitimate and I am not involved in narcotics," he stated.
"Trump speaks uninformed. End the false accusations," he posted in a message.
"Should American forces attack civilians, they will turn into thousands of guerrillas in the hills. If they capture the nation's leader, whom a significant portion of the country holds in high esteem, they will provoke the ‘jaguar’ of the nation," Petro warned.
From Insurgent to Statesman
The president dedicated some years as a young man participating with the radical M-19 guerrilla group although reports indicate to have ever took part in armed clashes. Upon leaving the group, he took part in writing the nation's constitution in the early 90s and later became an influential politician. He was mayor of the Colombian capital before winning the presidency.
"I swore to never again hold arms again ... but in defense of my country I shall resume arms again," he said.
Increased Security and Cross-Political Condemnation
The Colombian defence minister stated that the national leader's personal security had been reinforced.
Many among Colombia’s political right have sided with Trump, yet figures from all sides of Colombian politics have denounced the threats of an invasion targeting Colombia.
Political and Economic Strains
American authorities withdrew Petro’s visa after he called on American soldiers to ignore unlawful commands. Later, in October, it placed asset freezes against the president, the first lady and several key allies.
At the same time as the US increased its military presence in the region and striking suspected drug boats against Venezuela’s Maduro, the US also carried out strikes on boats off the Pacific coast adjacent to Colombia.
