President Trump and his Colombian counterpart have turned up the tone of their war of words, increasing tensions bilaterally following US forces targeted Venezuela in an operation to oust the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He operates drug factories and production sites and that won't last much longer," the US president stated.
Growing Tensions and Allegations
Speaking to the press over the weekend, the US president threatened comparable military action against Colombia, asserting the nation is also "very ill" and governed by a sick man who likes making the drug and selling it to America."
Although Colombia remains the leading source of the narcotic, no proof exists that President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is in any way connected to the trade.
A Deteriorating Relationship
Colombia was historically a staunch collaborator of the United States in the struggle against drug trafficking and enjoyed wide political approval in the US capital, yet ties have soured markedly following Trump was elected.
Its drug trade is predominantly run by illegal armed groups such as the Golf Clan, the ELN guerrilla group and breakaway groups of the demobilized Farc, most of its former fighters demobilised subsequent to a 2016 peace deal.
Colombia's Strong Answer
In response to a query whether military intervention similar to Venezuela was a possibility for Colombia, Trump responded: "It sounds good from my perspective."
The Colombian leader, an ex-guerrilla fighter who left armed struggle in the 1990s, categorically refuted Trump's claims. "I am neither illegitimate nor am I a drug trafficker," he affirmed.
"The US president speaks without knowledge. Stop slandering me," he wrote in a post.
"If they [the US] bomb peasants, they will transform into thousands of guerrillas in the hills. And should they arrest the nation's leader, whom a large part of the population holds in high esteem, they will provoke the ‘jaguar’ of the nation," Petro warned.
From Fighter to Statesman
He passed some years as a young man belonging with the radical M-19 guerrilla group though it is believed that he never participated in combat. After demobilizing, he was involved in creating the constitutional rewrite in the early 90s and eventually served as a respected lawmaker. He held the office of mayor of the capital city before winning the nation's highest office.
"I pledged to abstain from using arms again ... but for Colombia I would take up weapons once more," he affirmed.
Increased Security and Cross-Political Rejection
Minister Pedro Sánchez stated that the national leader's personal security was strengthened.
Several members of Colombia’s political right have allied themselves with Trump, but voices from all sides of the political spectrum have denounced the possibility of an invasion on Colombia.
Bilateral and Economic Sanctions
The US revoked his travel authorization following he urged US military personnel to ignore unlawful commands. In October, it placed financial sanctions against the president, the first lady and several close collaborators.
Simultaneously the US was building up its military presence in the region and targeting vessels thought to carry drugs to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, the US have also conducted attacks on maritime targets in the eastern Pacific region near Colombia.
