Donald Trump and President Gustavo Petro have turned up the tone of their exchange, further raising tensions in their relations following American military units struck Venezuela to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories and his time is running out," the US president stated.
Escalating Tensions coupled with Allegations
Talking to journalists over the weekend, Trump suggested similar military action against Bogotá, stating the country is also "very ill" and “run by an unwell individual who enjoys creating cocaine and selling it to the United States."
Although Colombia is the leading cocaine-producing country, there is no evidence that President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is directly involved in the trade.
A Deteriorating Relationship
This nation for decades served as a close partner of the United States in the campaign against drug trafficking and received wide political approval in the US capital, yet ties have soured dramatically after Trump assumed the presidency.
Colombia’s drug trade is predominantly run by guerrilla factions like one major cartel, the ELN guerrilla group and dissident factions of the demobilized Farc, most of its former fighters demobilised after a 2016 peace deal.
Petro's Strong Response
Upon being questioned whether military intervention like that in Venezuela was being considered for Colombia, Trump said: "It sounds good to me."
President Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who demobilised decades ago, rejected these allegations. "I am not illegitimate nor am I a narco," he affirmed.
"Trump speaks without knowledge. Stop slandering me," he expressed online.
"Should American forces attack civilians, they will transform into a multitude of fighters in the hills. If they capture me, which a large part of Colombians admires and supports, they will unleash the fierce spirit of the nation," he admonished.
From Insurgent to Statesman
Petro spent some years as a young man as a member in the left-wing M-19 armed organization but is not believed he did not took part in armed clashes. After demobilizing, he took part in creating the constitutional rewrite in 1991 and eventually served as an influential politician. He held the office of mayor of the capital city before winning president.
"I swore not to touch a gun ... but in defense of my country I would take up weapons once more," he affirmed.
Reinforced Protection and Widespread Condemnation
The Colombian defence minister announced that the national leader's personal security was strengthened.
Many among Colombia’s political right have allied themselves with Trump, but voices from all sides of the ideological divide have condemned the notion of American military action against their nation.
Diplomatic and Financial Pressure
American authorities cancelled Petro’s visa after he encouraged American soldiers to disobey orders that violate law. Later, in October, authorities imposed financial sanctions against the president, his wife and a number of associates.
Concurrently as the US increased its troop levels near Venezuela and bombing alleged narcotics traffickers against Venezuela’s Maduro, the US have also conducted attacks against vessels in the eastern Pacific region adjacent to Colombia.
