President Trump along with his Colombian counterpart have intensified the tone of their war of words, heightening tensions in their relations following US forces targeted Venezuela to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He runs narcotics facilities and processing labs and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump remarked.
Rising Threats and Allegations
Talking to the press over the weekend, the American leader threatened comparable use of force towards the South American nation, claiming Colombia is also "very ill" and governed by a problematic figure who likes making the drug and trafficking it to the US."
While Colombia is the globe's biggest producer of cocaine, authorities have found no indication implicating Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is directly tied to the illicit industry.
A Frayed Alliance
The country was historically a key ally of the United States in the struggle against drug trafficking and benefited from bipartisan support from American politicians, but relations have deteriorated dramatically after Trump came to office.
Its narcotics trade is mainly overseen by illegal armed groups including one major cartel, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and breakaway groups of the demobilized Farc, a large contingent of whom disbanded subsequent to a landmark accord.
Colombia's Strong Response
In response to a query whether military intervention like that in Venezuela was being considered for Colombia, Trump said: "That seems like a good idea to me."
Petro, an ex-guerrilla fighter who left armed struggle in the last century, categorically refuted these allegations. "I am no an illegitimate leader nor am I a narco," he affirmed.
"He comments without knowledge. End the false accusations," he expressed in a post.
"If US bombs target rural communities, they will turn into thousands of guerrillas across the countryside. And should they arrest the nation's leader, which many of Colombians loves and respects, they will unleash the ‘jaguar’ of the populace," Petro warned.
From Fighter to Leader
Petro spent part of his youth participating in the left-wing M-19 insurgent movement but is not believed to have ever took part in armed clashes. Upon leaving the group, he was involved in writing a new constitution in 1991 and eventually served as a respected lawmaker. He held the office of mayor of Bogotá before winning the presidency.
"I swore not to touch a weapon again ... but in defense of my country I will take up weapons once more," he vowed.
Reinforced Protection and Broad Condemnation
Colombia's defense chief reported that the president’s security detail was strengthened.
A segment of Colombia’s right wing opposition have allied themselves with Trump, but voices from across the ideological divide have rejected the notion of American military action against their nation.
Diplomatic and Financial Pressure
The US cancelled his travel authorization following he encouraged American soldiers to disobey any illegal orders. Later, in October, authorities imposed asset freezes targeting Petro, his wife and several key allies.
Simultaneously while America bolstered its military presence in the Caribbean and bombing alleged narcotics traffickers to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, the US also carried out operations against vessels off the Pacific coast adjacent to Colombia.
