Donald Trump along with Colombia's president have escalated the volume in their verbal conflict, further raising strains bilaterally after American military units targeted Venezuela with the aim of deposing President Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He runs cocaine mills and production sites and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump remarked.
Growing Threats and Claims
Talking to reporters over the weekend, the American leader suggested comparable use of force towards the South American nation, claiming the country is “very sick too” and led by a problematic figure who likes making cocaine and trafficking it to the US."
While Colombia remains the leading producer of cocaine, no proof exists that President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is in any way involved in the trade.
A Frayed Partnership
The country for decades served as a staunch collaborator of the United States in the struggle combating drug cartels and benefited from bipartisan support in the US capital, yet ties have worsened dramatically following Trump came to office.
Colombia’s drug trade is mainly overseen by guerrilla factions like the Golf Clan, another leftist insurgency and dissident factions of the demobilized Farc, most of its former fighters demobilised subsequent to a 2016 peace deal.
Petro's Firm Rebuttal
In response to a query if military intervention comparable to Venezuela was being considered regarding Colombia, Trump replied: "It sounds good to me."
President Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who left armed struggle in the 1990s, firmly denied the accusations. "I am no illegitimate and certainly not a narco," he declared.
"The US president speaks uninformed. End the false accusations," he wrote in a post.
"Should American forces attack civilians, they will transform into a multitude of fighters in the mountains. And if they detain me, which many of the population admires and supports, they will provoke the ‘jaguar’ of the populace," Petro warned.
From Fighter to Statesman
Petro spent part of his youth participating of the leftist M-19 armed organization but is not believed to have ever participated in combat. After demobilizing, he was involved in writing the constitutional rewrite in the early 90s and eventually served as an influential politician. He held the office of mayor of Bogotá before being elected president.
"I swore to never again hold a weapon again ... but in defense of my country I would take up weapons once more," he vowed.
Reinforced Protection along with Cross-Political Condemnation
Minister Pedro Sánchez reported that the president’s personal security was strengthened.
Many among Colombia’s conservative opposition have allied themselves with the US president, yet figures from across the political spectrum have denounced the possibility of an invasion against their nation.
Diplomatic and Financial Strains
American authorities cancelled his travel authorization after he urged US troops to disobey any illegal orders. Later, in October, the US enacted financial sanctions targeting Petro, his spouse and a number of associates.
At the same time the US was building up its forces in the Caribbean and bombing alleged narcotics traffickers to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces executed attacks on maritime targets in Pacific waters off the Colombian coast.
