Donald Trump and President Gustavo Petro have intensified the tone in their verbal conflict, further raising tensions between the two countries after American military units attacked Venezuela in an operation to oust Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He has drug factories and production sites and that won't last much longer," Trump added.
Growing Rhetoric and Allegations
Addressing journalists over the weekend, the US president threatened analogous military action against Bogotá, stating the nation is also "very ill" and led by a sick man who enjoys creating the drug and selling it to America."
Although Colombia is the world’s largest source of the narcotic, no proof exists implicating Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is in any way connected to the business.
A Frayed Alliance
This nation for decades served as a close partner of Washington in the fight against drug trafficking and received cross-party backing in Washington, however, the relationship have worsened significantly since Trump came to office.
Colombia’s narcotics trade is mainly overseen by guerrilla factions such as one major cartel, the ELN guerrilla group and renegade units of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), most of its former fighters laid down arms subsequent to a 2016 peace deal.
The President's Strong Rebuttal
In response to a query if armed intervention comparable to Venezuela was a possibility for Colombia, Trump replied: "I like the sound of that to me personally."
The Colombian leader, an ex-guerrilla fighter who demobilised in the last century, firmly denied Trump's claims. "I am neither an illegitimate leader and I am not a drug trafficker," he declared.
"The US president speaks without information. Cease defaming me," he wrote in a post.
"Should American forces attack rural communities, they will become thousands of guerrillas in the hills. If they capture me, which a large part of the country loves and respects, they will provoke the ‘jaguar’ of the people," Petro warned.
From Guerrilla to Statesman
Petro spent some years as a young man participating of the leftist M-19 insurgent movement but is not believed to have ever took part in armed clashes. Following his disarmament, he was involved in creating the constitutional rewrite over three decades ago and eventually served as an influential politician. He held the office of mayor of the Colombian capital prior to his election the nation's highest office.
"I made a vow to never again hold a weapon again ... but for Colombia I will take up the fight," he vowed.
Heightened Measures and Widespread Opposition
Colombia's defense chief stated that the president’s security detail had received additional support.
Many among Colombia’s conservative opposition have expressed support with Trump's stance, yet figures from across the political spectrum have denounced the threats of American military action against their nation.
Bilateral and Financial Pressure
American authorities cancelled the president's entry visa after he called on US troops to ignore unlawful commands. In October, it placed financial sanctions on Petro, his spouse and several associates.
Simultaneously the US was building up its troop levels near Venezuela and targeting vessels thought to carry drugs to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, the US also carried out strikes against vessels in the eastern Pacific region near Colombia.
