President Trump and Colombia's president have turned up the volume of their exchange, increasing strains bilaterally following US forces attacked Venezuela to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He has narcotics facilities and processing labs and that won't last much longer," the US president stated.
Growing Rhetoric coupled with Claims
Addressing reporters on Sunday, the American leader suggested analogous armed intervention against Bogotá, stating the nation is also "very ill" and “run by a problematic figure involved in producing the drug and trafficking it to America."
While Colombia stands as the globe's biggest source of the narcotic, there is no evidence that President Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is directly connected to the business.
A Frayed Relationship
Colombia was historically a key ally of the US in the struggle against narcotics trade and enjoyed cross-party backing from American politicians, however, the relationship have deteriorated markedly since Trump assumed the presidency.
Its drug trade is mainly overseen by illegal armed groups like one major cartel, the ELN guerrilla group and breakaway groups of the former Farc guerrillas, a large contingent of whom demobilised subsequent to a 2016 peace deal.
Colombia's Strong Rebuttal
Upon being questioned whether military intervention like that in Venezuela was being considered for Colombia, Trump replied: "That seems like a good idea to me personally."
President Petro, an ex-guerrilla fighter who demobilised in the last century, firmly denied these allegations. "I am neither illegitimate and certainly not a drug trafficker," he stated.
"The US president speaks without information. Cease defaming me," he posted in a message.
"Should American forces attack peasants, they will transform into thousands of guerrillas across the countryside. And should they arrest the president, whom a large part of the population holds in high esteem, they will unleash the ‘jaguar’ of the nation," Petro warned.
From Fighter to President
He passed part of his youth as a member of the leftist M-19 guerrilla group but is not believed to have ever participated in combat. Following his disarmament, he participated in drafting the constitutional rewrite in the early 90s subsequently becoming a prominent senator. He held the office of mayor of the Colombian capital prior to his election the presidency.
"I pledged to abstain from using a gun ... but in defense of my country I will take up weapons once more," he said.
Increased Security along with Broad Opposition
Minister Pedro Sánchez stated that the president’s protection team had been reinforced.
A segment of Colombia’s political right have allied themselves with Trump's stance, yet figures from across Colombian politics have condemned the threats of American military action on Colombia.
Bilateral and Economic Sanctions
Washington revoked the president's entry visa following he called on US troops to disobey orders that violate law. Later, in October, authorities imposed financial sanctions against the president, his spouse and various key allies.
Concurrently the US was building up its forces near Venezuela and striking vessels thought to carry drugs to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets executed attacks on boats in the eastern Pacific region adjacent to Colombia.
