Donald Trump and his Colombian counterpart have turned up the tone of their war of words, heightening tensions between the two countries following American military units struck Venezuela to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He operates cocaine mills and processing labs and his time is running out," the US president stated.
Escalating Rhetoric coupled with Accusations
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, the US president hinted at analogous armed intervention against Bogotá, stating the nation is “very sick too” and “run by an unwell individual who likes making cocaine and trafficking it to America."
While Colombia is the globe's biggest source of the narcotic, authorities have found no indication that President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is in any way connected to the illicit industry.
A Strained Partnership
The country was historically a key ally of Washington in the campaign against narcotics trade and received cross-party backing in Washington, but relations have soured significantly after Trump was elected.
Colombia’s narcotics trade is predominantly run by guerrilla factions such as the Golf Clan, another leftist insurgency and renegade units of the former Farc guerrillas, the majority of whose members laid down arms after a 2016 peace deal.
Petro's Defiant Rebuttal
Upon being questioned if military intervention like that in Venezuela was a possibility for Colombia, Trump responded: "It sounds good from my perspective."
Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who demobilised in the 1990s, firmly denied Trump's claims. "I am neither illegitimate and certainly not involved in narcotics," he affirmed.
"Trump speaks uninformed. End the false accusations," he posted in a post.
"If they [the US] bomb peasants, they will become numerous insurgents across the countryside. And if they detain the president, whom many of the population loves and respects, they will unleash the fierce spirit of the people," Petro warned.
From Insurgent to Statesman
The president dedicated some years as a young man belonging of the leftist M-19 armed organization though it is believed he did not took part in armed clashes. After demobilizing, he participated in drafting the constitutional rewrite in the early 90s and later became a prominent senator. He held the office of mayor of the capital city before winning the nation's highest office.
"I swore to abstain from using a gun ... but in defense of my country I would take up weapons once more," he vowed.
Reinforced Protection and Cross-Political Condemnation
The Colombian defence minister stated that the national leader's security detail had been reinforced.
A segment of Colombia’s right wing opposition have allied themselves with Trump, however, leaders from all sides of Colombian politics have rejected the threats of an invasion against their nation.
Political and Economic Pressure
Washington cancelled Petro’s visa following he urged American soldiers to disobey orders that violate law. Later, in October, authorities imposed economic restrictions targeting Petro, his wife and a number of key allies.
Simultaneously while America bolstered its military presence in the Caribbean and striking vessels thought to carry drugs to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, the US executed strikes on boats in Pacific waters adjacent to Colombia.
