Donald Trump along with his Colombian counterpart have turned up the tone in their verbal conflict, increasing strains in their relations following US forces targeted Venezuela with the aim of deposing President Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He runs cocaine mills and cocaine factories and that won't last much longer," the US president stated.
Rising Threats coupled with Claims
Talking to journalists on Sunday, the American leader threatened analogous armed intervention against Colombia, asserting Colombia is “very sick too” and governed by a sick man who likes making the drug and distributing it to the US."
While Colombia is the world’s largest cocaine-producing country, authorities have found no indication implicating Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is in any way tied to the illicit industry.
A Deteriorating Partnership
Colombia has long been a key ally of the US in the campaign against narcotics trade and enjoyed cross-party backing in the US capital, but relations have worsened dramatically after Trump assumed the presidency.
The nation's illicit drug economy is largely controlled by criminal organizations such as one major cartel, the ELN guerrilla group and breakaway groups of the demobilized Farc, the majority of whose members laid down arms following a 2016 peace deal.
Colombia's Defiant Rebuttal
When asked whether a military operation comparable to Venezuela was being considered regarding Colombia, Trump responded: "I like the sound of that from my perspective."
The Colombian leader, an ex-guerrilla fighter who left armed struggle in the last century, rejected these allegations. "I am neither illegitimate and certainly not involved in narcotics," he declared.
"Trump speaks uninformed. Stop slandering me," he wrote online.
"If they [the US] bomb civilians, they will become thousands of guerrillas in the mountains. If they capture me, which a large part of the population holds in high esteem, they will release the ‘jaguar’ of the people," he admonished.
From Fighter to Statesman
Petro spent some years as a young man participating with the radical M-19 armed organization but is not believed to have ever took part in armed clashes. After demobilizing, he was involved in drafting the constitutional rewrite in the early 90s and later became a prominent senator. He served as mayor of the capital city prior to his election the nation's highest office.
"I made a vow to never again hold a weapon again ... but for the homeland I shall resume arms again," he affirmed.
Reinforced Protection along with Broad Condemnation
The Colombian defence minister stated that the president’s security detail had been reinforced.
A segment of Colombia’s conservative opposition have sided with the US president, yet figures spanning Colombian politics have rejected the notion of American military action against their nation.
Bilateral and Financial Strains
Washington revoked the president's entry visa after he called on US troops to disobey unlawful commands. Later, in October, authorities imposed asset freezes against the president, the first lady and a number of key allies.
Simultaneously while America bolstered its military presence near Venezuela and targeting vessels thought to carry drugs to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets have also conducted attacks against vessels off the Pacific coast adjacent to Colombia.
