President Trump and President Gustavo Petro have turned up the volume in their verbal conflict, increasing tensions in their relations following US forces targeted Venezuela to remove President Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He has drug factories and cocaine factories and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump remarked.
Rising Tensions and Claims
Talking to journalists on Sunday, the American leader threatened similar use of force towards the South American nation, claiming the nation is also "very ill" and “run by a problematic figure who enjoys creating the drug and selling it to the United States."
Although Colombia stands as the leading source of the narcotic, authorities have found no indication implicating Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is in any way tied to the business.
A Deteriorating Partnership
The country for decades served as a close partner of the United States in the campaign against narcotics trade and benefited from wide political approval from American politicians, yet ties have soured significantly since Trump was elected.
Its illicit drug economy is largely controlled by illegal armed groups like the Clan del Golfo, another leftist insurgency and dissident factions of the demobilized Farc, a large contingent of whom demobilised subsequent to a landmark accord.
The President's Defiant Answer
Upon being questioned whether a military operation similar to Venezuela was on the cards against his country, Trump replied: "It sounds good from my perspective."
President Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who left armed struggle decades ago, rejected Trump's claims. "I am not an illegitimate leader nor am I a narco," he declared.
"Trump speaks without information. Stop slandering me," he posted in a post.
"If they [the US] bomb rural communities, they will turn into thousands of guerrillas in the hills. And should they arrest the president, whom a large part of Colombians loves and respects, they will provoke the ‘jaguar’ of the people," the president cautioned.
From Insurgent to President
Petro spent some years as a young man belonging of the leftist M-19 guerrilla group though it is believed that he never engaged in fighting. After demobilizing, he participated in creating a new constitution in the early 90s subsequently becoming an influential politician. He served as mayor of the Colombian capital prior to his election the nation's highest office.
"I pledged to never again hold a weapon again ... but for Colombia I will take up weapons once more," he vowed.
Reinforced Protection along with Broad Opposition
The Colombian defence minister stated that the president’s protection team had received additional support.
Many among Colombia’s conservative opposition have sided with Trump's stance, but voices spanning Colombian politics have denounced the possibility of American military action on Colombia.
Diplomatic and Economic Strains
The US revoked the president's entry visa following he urged US military personnel to refuse orders that violate law. Months later, it placed financial sanctions on Petro, his wife and various associates.
Concurrently while America bolstered its forces in the Caribbean and striking alleged narcotics traffickers to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces also carried out strikes on maritime targets in the eastern Pacific region near Colombia.
