Donald Trump along with Colombia's president have intensified the rhetoric in their verbal conflict, heightening tensions in their relations after US forces attacked Venezuela to remove President Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories and that won't last much longer," the US president stated.
Growing Threats and Accusations
Addressing journalists on Sunday, the American leader hinted at similar military action against Colombia, asserting the country is also "very ill" and “run by a sick man who enjoys creating cocaine and selling it to the United States."
Although Colombia stands as the globe's biggest producer of cocaine, authorities have found no indication that President Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is personally tied to the trade.
A Deteriorating Partnership
Colombia has long been a key ally of the US in the campaign against drug trafficking and benefited from bipartisan support from American politicians, yet ties have soured significantly since Trump came to office.
Colombia’s drug trade is mainly overseen by illegal armed groups including the Golf Clan, another leftist insurgency and renegade units of the demobilized Farc, the majority of whose members disbanded subsequent to a 2016 peace deal.
Colombia's Defiant Answer
In response to a query if military intervention like that in Venezuela was being considered for Colombia, Trump said: "I like the sound of that to me."
President Petro, an ex-guerrilla fighter who demobilised decades ago, rejected these allegations. "I am neither an illegitimate leader and I am not a narco," he declared.
"The US president speaks without knowledge. Stop slandering me," he expressed in a message.
"If they [the US] bomb rural communities, they will transform into thousands of guerrillas in the mountains. And should they arrest the nation's leader, which a large part of the population loves and respects, they will provoke the ‘jaguar’ of the populace," the president cautioned.
From Fighter to Leader
He passed some years as a young man belonging of the leftist M-19 armed organization but is not believed he did not engaged in fighting. Upon leaving the group, he took part in drafting the constitutional rewrite over three decades ago subsequently becoming a respected lawmaker. He held the office of mayor of the capital city before being elected president.
"I made a vow to never again hold arms again ... but for the homeland I will take up weapons once more," he vowed.
Increased Security and Widespread Opposition
Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that the president’s security detail had received additional support.
Many among Colombia’s conservative opposition have sided with Trump, however, leaders from across the political spectrum have rejected the possibility of an invasion against their nation.
Diplomatic and Economic Sanctions
The US withdrew the president's entry visa after he called on US military personnel to refuse unlawful commands. Later, in October, the US enacted economic restrictions targeting Petro, the first lady and several close collaborators.
Concurrently as the US increased its forces in the Caribbean and bombing alleged narcotics traffickers to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces have also conducted attacks on maritime targets in the eastern Pacific region near Colombia.
