Donald Trump along with President Gustavo Petro have escalated the volume in their verbal conflict, heightening tensions between the two countries following American military units attacked Venezuela to remove the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He operates drug factories and production sites and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump remarked.
Escalating Rhetoric and Allegations
Talking to journalists over the weekend, the US president suggested analogous use of force against Colombia, stating Colombia faces serious problems and led by a sick man involved in producing the drug and trafficking it to America."
Although Colombia stands as the globe's biggest cocaine-producing country, no proof exists linking President Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is personally connected to the business.
A Frayed Alliance
Colombia has long been a staunch collaborator of Washington in the fight against drug trafficking and benefited from cross-party backing from American politicians, however, the relationship have worsened significantly after Trump came to office.
Its illicit drug economy is largely controlled by guerrilla factions like the Golf Clan, another leftist insurgency and breakaway groups of the demobilized Farc, a large contingent of whom demobilised following a historic peace agreement.
Petro's Defiant Rebuttal
Upon being questioned whether a military operation like that in Venezuela was a possibility regarding Colombia, Trump said: "That seems like a good idea to me personally."
President Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who disarmed in the 1990s, firmly denied Trump's claims. "I am not an illegitimate leader and certainly not involved in narcotics," he stated.
"Trump speaks uninformed. Stop slandering me," he wrote in a post.
"If they [the US] bomb peasants, they will become thousands of guerrillas across the countryside. And should they arrest the nation's leader, whom many of the population loves and respects, they will provoke the powerful force of the nation," Petro warned.
From Fighter to Leader
The president dedicated some years as a young man belonging with the radical M-19 armed organization although reports indicate he did not took part in armed clashes. Upon leaving the group, he was involved in writing a new constitution in the early 90s and eventually served as a respected lawmaker. He served as mayor of the Colombian capital prior to his election the presidency.
"I made a vow to never again hold a weapon again ... but for the homeland I would take up the fight," he said.
Reinforced Protection and Broad Opposition
The Colombian defence minister reported that the president’s security detail had been reinforced.
A segment of Colombia’s right wing opposition have allied themselves with the US president, however, leaders from across Colombian politics have denounced the notion of American military action on Colombia.
Diplomatic and Economic Pressure
The US revoked Petro’s visa after he urged American soldiers to disobey any illegal orders. In October, authorities imposed economic restrictions on Petro, the first lady and a number of close collaborators.
Simultaneously while America bolstered its forces in the region and targeting alleged narcotics traffickers to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets have also conducted operations on boats off the Pacific coast near Colombia.
