President Trump and his Colombian counterpart have intensified the volume of their war of words, further raising tensions in their relations following American military units targeted Venezuela to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He runs cocaine mills and processing labs and is not going to be doing it very long," the US president stated.
Growing Threats coupled with Accusations
Addressing journalists on Sunday, the US president hinted at comparable armed intervention against Bogotá, claiming the country is also "very ill" and “run by a problematic figure who enjoys creating narcotics and trafficking it to the US."
Although Colombia remains the globe's biggest source of the narcotic, authorities have found no indication linking President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is directly connected to the illicit industry.
A Strained Partnership
The country was historically a key ally of the United States in the fight against drug trafficking and benefited from bipartisan support in Washington, yet ties have soured markedly since Trump assumed the presidency.
Its narcotics trade is predominantly run by criminal organizations including the Clan del Golfo, the ELN guerrilla group and renegade units of the demobilized Farc, a large contingent of whom laid down arms following a historic peace agreement.
The President's Strong Answer
Upon being questioned whether armed intervention like that in Venezuela was a possibility against his country, Trump replied: "It sounds good to me personally."
President Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who demobilised decades ago, categorically refuted the accusations. "I am not an illegitimate leader and certainly not involved in narcotics," he stated.
"He comments without knowledge. End the false accusations," he posted in a message.
"If they [the US] bomb civilians, they will become a multitude of fighters across the countryside. And if they detain me, which a significant portion of the population holds in high esteem, they will release the ‘jaguar’ of the people," he admonished.
From Fighter to President
The president dedicated a period in his early life as a member with the radical M-19 armed organization although reports indicate he did not took part in armed clashes. After demobilizing, he was involved in creating the constitutional rewrite in the early 90s subsequently becoming an influential politician. He was mayor of Bogotá before being elected president.
"I pledged not to touch a weapon again ... but for the homeland I will take up the fight," he said.
Reinforced Protection and Broad Opposition
The Colombian defence minister announced that Petro's protection team had been reinforced.
Several members of Colombia’s political right have allied themselves with Trump's stance, yet figures from across the ideological divide have denounced the notion of American military action on Colombia.
Diplomatic and Financial Strains
Washington withdrew his travel authorization subsequent to he encouraged US troops to refuse unlawful commands. Later, in October, it placed economic restrictions against the president, his wife and various key allies.
At the same time while America bolstered its military presence in the region and bombing suspected drug boats to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces also carried out attacks on boats off the Pacific coast off the Colombian coast.
