The US President along with his Colombian counterpart have intensified the volume of their exchange, increasing tensions between the two countries following US forces attacked Venezuela to remove President Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He operates narcotics facilities and cocaine factories and is not going to be doing it very long," the US president stated.
Escalating Threats and Allegations
Talking to reporters on Sunday, the US president hinted at similar armed intervention towards the South American nation, claiming the nation is also "very ill" and governed by an unwell individual involved in producing the drug and trafficking it to the United States."
Although Colombia remains the world’s largest source of the narcotic, authorities have found no indication implicating Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is directly involved in the illicit industry.
A Strained Partnership
The country was historically a key ally of the US in the fight against narcotics trade and received cross-party backing from American politicians, but relations have soured markedly since Trump was elected.
Colombia’s narcotics trade is mainly overseen by criminal organizations including the Clan del Golfo, another leftist insurgency and dissident factions of the former Farc guerrillas, a large contingent of whom laid down arms after a landmark accord.
The President's Strong Rebuttal
Upon being questioned whether military intervention comparable to Venezuela was a possibility regarding Colombia, Trump said: "That seems like a good idea to me."
Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who disarmed in the last century, categorically refuted Trump's claims. "I am not an illegitimate leader nor am I a drug trafficker," he declared.
"Trump speaks without knowledge. End the false accusations," he wrote online.
"If they [the US] bomb civilians, they will become thousands of guerrillas in the mountains. And should they arrest the nation's leader, whom a significant portion of the population loves and respects, they will unleash the powerful force of the populace," Petro warned.
From Fighter to Leader
He passed some years as a young man participating with the radical M-19 armed organization but is not believed that he never engaged in fighting. Upon leaving the group, he was involved in writing the constitutional rewrite in the early 90s and later became an influential politician. He held the office of mayor of the Colombian capital before being elected the presidency.
"I pledged to abstain from using a weapon again ... but for Colombia I will take up arms again," he affirmed.
Heightened Measures and Widespread Condemnation
Minister Pedro Sánchez stated that the national leader's personal security was strengthened.
Many among Colombia’s conservative opposition have allied themselves with the US president, but voices spanning Colombian politics have denounced the threats of American military action against their nation.
Political and Financial Pressure
The US revoked Petro’s visa after he urged US troops to disobey unlawful commands. Later, in October, the US enacted financial sanctions targeting Petro, his spouse and several key allies.
Concurrently the US was building up its troop levels in the Caribbean and targeting vessels thought to carry drugs to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces executed operations against vessels in Pacific waters adjacent to Colombia.
