The US President along with his Colombian counterpart have intensified the tone of their war of words, heightening tensions bilaterally after American military units targeted Venezuela to remove the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He has cocaine mills and production sites and his time is running out," the US president stated.
Growing Tensions and Accusations
Addressing reporters on Sunday, the American leader suggested comparable military action against Bogotá, asserting the nation is “very sick too” and “run by a sick man involved in producing the drug and selling it to the United States."
While Colombia stands as the world’s largest source of the narcotic, there is no evidence that President Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is personally connected to the trade.
A Deteriorating Partnership
The country has long been a key ally of the United States in the fight combating drug cartels and enjoyed cross-party backing in the US capital, however, the relationship have deteriorated markedly after Trump came to office.
Its drug trade is predominantly run by guerrilla factions like the Golf Clan, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and dissident factions of the former Farc guerrillas, the majority of whose members laid down arms after a 2016 peace deal.
The President's Firm Rebuttal
Upon being questioned whether military intervention comparable to Venezuela was a possibility for Colombia, Trump replied: "It sounds good to me."
The Colombian leader, a former leftist guerrilla who demobilised decades ago, firmly denied Trump's claims. "I am no an illegitimate leader and certainly not a narco," he stated.
"The US president speaks uninformed. End the false accusations," he wrote online.
"If they [the US] bomb peasants, they will turn into thousands of guerrillas in the hills. And should they arrest the nation's leader, whom a significant portion of Colombians holds in high esteem, they will provoke the fierce spirit of the people," the president cautioned.
From Guerrilla to Statesman
Petro spent some years as a young man participating with the radical M-19 guerrilla group although reports indicate he did not engaged in fighting. Following his disarmament, he participated in creating the constitutional rewrite over three decades ago subsequently becoming an influential politician. He was mayor of the Colombian capital before being elected the nation's highest office.
"I made a vow to never again hold a gun ... but for Colombia I will take up arms again," he vowed.
Heightened Measures along with Broad Opposition
The Colombian defence minister reported that Petro's personal security had been reinforced.
Several members of Colombia’s conservative opposition have sided with the US president, yet figures from all sides of Colombian politics have denounced the possibility of a US attack targeting Colombia.
Bilateral and Economic Strains
Washington revoked Petro’s visa after he urged US military personnel to disobey unlawful commands. Later, in October, authorities imposed economic restrictions targeting Petro, his spouse and several associates.
Simultaneously as the US increased its troop levels in the Caribbean and striking suspected drug boats to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces have also conducted strikes against vessels in Pacific waters adjacent to Colombia.
