President Trump and President Gustavo Petro have turned up the rhetoric of their war of words, further raising tensions in their relations after American military units attacked Venezuela to remove President Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He runs cocaine mills and production sites and his time is running out," Trump remarked.
Growing Tensions and Claims
Talking to reporters over the weekend, the US president suggested comparable armed intervention against Colombia, asserting Colombia is also "very ill" and governed by an unwell individual who enjoys creating cocaine and distributing it to the United States."
Although Colombia is the globe's biggest cocaine-producing country, authorities have found no indication implicating Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is directly involved in the trade.
A Strained Alliance
This nation has long been a close partner of the United States in the fight combating drug cartels and benefited from wide political approval in the US capital, but relations have soured significantly following Trump was elected.
Colombia’s narcotics trade is predominantly run by illegal armed groups like the Golf Clan, another leftist insurgency and dissident factions of the demobilized Farc, most of its former fighters disbanded after a landmark accord.
Colombia's Defiant Answer
When asked if a military operation like that in Venezuela was a possibility regarding Colombia, Trump said: "That seems like a good idea to me personally."
The Colombian leader, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who demobilised in the 1990s, categorically refuted the accusations. "I am no illegitimate and I am not a drug trafficker," he declared.
"Trump speaks without knowledge. Stop slandering me," he expressed online.
"Should American forces attack civilians, they will become thousands of guerrillas in the mountains. If they capture me, whom a large part of the population loves and respects, they will provoke the ‘jaguar’ of the nation," Petro warned.
From Guerrilla to Leader
He passed some years as a young man as a member in the left-wing M-19 guerrilla group although reports indicate that he never took part in armed clashes. Following his disarmament, he participated in drafting the nation's constitution in 1991 subsequently becoming a prominent senator. He held the office of mayor of the Colombian capital before being elected president.
"I pledged to abstain from using a gun ... but in defense of my country I shall resume arms again," he affirmed.
Heightened Measures along with Broad Condemnation
The Colombian defence minister announced that Petro's personal security was strengthened.
A segment of Colombia’s right wing opposition have expressed support with the US president, but voices from all sides of the ideological divide have denounced the threats of a US attack against their nation.
Bilateral and Financial Sanctions
Washington withdrew his travel authorization subsequent to he encouraged US military personnel to refuse any illegal orders. Later, in October, it placed asset freezes targeting Petro, his wife and a number of associates.
Simultaneously as the US increased its forces in the region and targeting suspected drug boats to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces have also conducted operations on boats in the eastern Pacific region off the Colombian coast.
