The US President and his Colombian counterpart have turned up the tone of their war of words, heightening tensions in their relations following US forces attacked Venezuela to remove the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He operates narcotics facilities and processing labs and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump remarked.
Growing Threats and Claims
Talking to journalists over the weekend, the American leader suggested similar armed intervention against Bogotá, asserting the nation is also "very ill" and “run by an unwell individual involved in producing the drug and selling it to the US."
While Colombia remains the globe's biggest cocaine-producing country, no proof exists implicating Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is directly involved in the business.
A Strained Partnership
This nation was historically a staunch collaborator of Washington in the campaign combating drug cartels and benefited from bipartisan support in the US capital, however, the relationship have deteriorated markedly since Trump was elected.
Colombia’s drug trade is mainly overseen by illegal armed groups including the Golf Clan, the ELN guerrilla group and breakaway groups of the former Farc guerrillas, most of its former fighters disbanded after a landmark accord.
Colombia's Defiant Answer
When asked whether armed intervention like that in Venezuela was on the cards regarding Colombia, Trump said: "I like the sound of that to me personally."
President Petro, an ex-guerrilla fighter who disarmed in the 1990s, rejected the accusations. "I am not illegitimate nor am I a drug trafficker," he stated.
"Trump speaks without information. Stop slandering me," he expressed in a post.
"If US bombs target rural communities, they will turn into thousands of guerrillas in the mountains. And should they arrest the president, which many of the country loves and respects, they will release the fierce spirit of the people," he admonished.
From Fighter to Leader
The president dedicated part of his youth participating of the leftist M-19 guerrilla group but is not believed that he never participated in combat. Upon leaving the group, he was involved in writing the constitutional rewrite over three decades ago subsequently becoming a prominent senator. He served as mayor of the Colombian capital before winning the presidency.
"I pledged to abstain from using a weapon again ... but for Colombia I will take up weapons once more," he vowed.
Increased Security along with Cross-Political Rejection
The Colombian defence minister reported that the national leader's protection team was strengthened.
Several members of Colombia’s conservative opposition have sided with Trump's stance, yet figures spanning the ideological divide have condemned the notion of a US attack on Colombia.
Bilateral and Financial Pressure
Washington withdrew the president's entry visa following he encouraged American soldiers to ignore orders that violate law. Months later, it placed economic restrictions on Petro, his spouse and a number of associates.
Concurrently the US was building up its troop levels in the Caribbean and targeting alleged narcotics traffickers to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets also carried out operations against vessels off the Pacific coast off the Colombian coast.
