President Trump along with President Gustavo Petro have turned up the rhetoric in their verbal conflict, further raising strains between the two countries after US forces attacked Venezuela in an operation to oust Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He runs cocaine mills and processing labs and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump remarked.
Rising Rhetoric coupled with Claims
Talking to the press over the weekend, the American leader threatened similar military action towards the South American nation, asserting Colombia is also "very ill" and governed by an unwell individual who likes making the drug and selling it to America."
While Colombia is the globe's biggest cocaine-producing country, there is no evidence linking President Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is in any way connected to the trade.
A Frayed Partnership
Colombia for decades served as a key ally of the United States in the fight against narcotics trade and benefited from cross-party backing in the US capital, yet ties have deteriorated dramatically after Trump was elected.
The nation's narcotics trade is predominantly run by guerrilla factions including the Golf Clan, the ELN guerrilla group and dissident factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), most of its former fighters laid down arms subsequent to a landmark accord.
Petro's Firm Answer
When asked whether a military operation similar to Venezuela was a possibility against his country, Trump said: "That seems like a good idea to me."
The Colombian leader, a former leftist guerrilla who left armed struggle in the last century, categorically refuted the accusations. "I am no illegitimate and I am not a narco," he affirmed.
"The US president speaks without information. Cease defaming me," he expressed in a post.
"If US bombs target rural communities, they will transform into a multitude of fighters in the mountains. And should they arrest me, whom a large part of the population loves and respects, they will release the ‘jaguar’ of the people," Petro warned.
From Insurgent to President
He passed some years as a young man participating with the radical M-19 armed organization although reports indicate to have ever engaged in fighting. After demobilizing, he was involved in writing the constitutional rewrite in the early 90s subsequently becoming a respected lawmaker. He was mayor of Bogotá prior to his election the presidency.
"I pledged to abstain from using arms again ... but for the homeland I will take up the fight," he affirmed.
Reinforced Protection along with Cross-Political Opposition
Minister Pedro Sánchez stated that the president’s security detail had been reinforced.
Many among Colombia’s right wing opposition have sided with Trump, but voices from all sides of the ideological divide have denounced the notion of an invasion against their nation.
Bilateral and Economic Pressure
The US revoked the president's entry visa after he encouraged US military personnel to refuse orders that violate law. Months later, the US enacted asset freezes against the president, his wife and several key allies.
Simultaneously while America bolstered its troop levels in the region and striking alleged narcotics traffickers to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets also carried out strikes on maritime targets off the Pacific coast adjacent to Colombia.
