Donald Trump and his Colombian counterpart have intensified the tone in their verbal conflict, heightening strains between the two countries after American military units targeted Venezuela with the aim of deposing President Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He runs cocaine mills and processing labs and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump remarked.
Escalating Tensions and Accusations
Addressing the press over the weekend, Trump threatened comparable armed intervention against Bogotá, stating Colombia faces serious problems and led by a sick man who enjoys creating cocaine and selling it to the US."
While Colombia stands as the globe's biggest cocaine-producing country, there is no evidence implicating Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is directly tied to the illicit industry.
A Deteriorating Relationship
Colombia was historically a key ally of the US in the fight against drug trafficking and enjoyed cross-party backing from American politicians, however, the relationship have soured significantly after Trump assumed the presidency.
Its narcotics trade is mainly overseen by illegal armed groups including the Golf Clan, the ELN guerrilla group and breakaway groups of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), a large contingent of whom laid down arms following a 2016 peace deal.
Colombia's Defiant Answer
When asked whether armed intervention similar to Venezuela was a possibility for Colombia, Trump replied: "I like the sound of that from my perspective."
Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who demobilised decades ago, rejected the accusations. "I am neither an illegitimate leader nor am I a drug trafficker," he affirmed.
"The US president speaks without knowledge. End the false accusations," he wrote online.
"Should American forces attack rural communities, they will transform into thousands of guerrillas across the countryside. If they capture the nation's leader, which a large part of the country admires and supports, they will release the ‘jaguar’ of the people," he admonished.
From Insurgent to Statesman
Petro spent a period in his early life participating in the left-wing M-19 guerrilla group though it is believed that he never engaged in fighting. After demobilizing, he participated in writing a new constitution in the early 90s and later became a prominent senator. He was mayor of the Colombian capital prior to his election the presidency.
"I pledged to never again hold a weapon again ... but for the homeland I shall resume weapons once more," he affirmed.
Reinforced Protection and Cross-Political Opposition
Minister Pedro Sánchez stated that Petro's personal security was strengthened.
A segment of Colombia’s political right have allied themselves with the US president, but voices from all sides of the ideological divide have denounced the notion of American military action against their nation.
Diplomatic and Financial Sanctions
American authorities revoked his travel authorization following he encouraged US troops to ignore unlawful commands. In October, authorities imposed financial sanctions on Petro, his wife and several key allies.
At the same time as the US increased its troop levels near Venezuela and bombing alleged narcotics traffickers to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, the US have also conducted strikes on maritime targets off the Pacific coast off the Colombian coast.
