The US President along with President Gustavo Petro have intensified the volume in their verbal conflict, further raising tensions in their relations after US forces struck Venezuela with the aim of deposing Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He runs narcotics facilities and cocaine factories and his time is running out," the US president stated.
Growing Rhetoric coupled with Claims
Addressing journalists over the weekend, the US president hinted at similar use of force towards the South American nation, asserting the country is also "very ill" and “run by a problematic figure who likes making the drug and selling it to the US."
Although Colombia is the globe's biggest cocaine-producing country, authorities have found no indication implicating Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is personally involved in the business.
A Frayed Partnership
This nation has long been a close partner of Washington in the campaign against drug trafficking and received bipartisan support from American politicians, yet ties have worsened significantly after Trump assumed the presidency.
Colombia’s illicit drug economy is predominantly run by guerrilla factions including the Golf Clan, another leftist insurgency and renegade units of the former Farc guerrillas, the majority of whose members disbanded following a 2016 peace deal.
Colombia's Defiant Response
When asked whether a military operation like that in Venezuela was a possibility regarding Colombia, Trump said: "That seems like a good idea from my perspective."
The Colombian leader, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who left armed struggle in the last century, rejected Trump's claims. "I am no an illegitimate leader and certainly not a drug trafficker," he declared.
"Trump speaks without information. Cease defaming me," he expressed online.
"If they [the US] bomb peasants, they will become numerous insurgents in the hills. And if they detain me, which a large part of Colombians admires and supports, they will provoke the fierce spirit of the people," Petro warned.
From Fighter to Statesman
He passed some years as a young man participating of the leftist M-19 armed organization though it is believed that he never participated in combat. Following his disarmament, he participated in drafting a new constitution in the early 90s subsequently becoming a respected lawmaker. He held the office of mayor of the Colombian capital before being elected president.
"I made a vow to never again hold a weapon again ... but for the homeland I would take up the fight," he said.
Increased Security along with Widespread Condemnation
Minister Pedro Sánchez reported that the president’s personal security had been reinforced.
Several members of Colombia’s right wing opposition have sided with Trump's stance, however, leaders spanning the political spectrum have denounced the notion of a US attack targeting Colombia.
Political and Economic Sanctions
The US cancelled his travel authorization following he urged US troops to disobey unlawful commands. In October, authorities imposed asset freezes against the president, his spouse and several associates.
At the same time as the US increased its troop levels near Venezuela and bombing alleged narcotics traffickers to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces also carried out strikes on boats off the Pacific coast off the Colombian coast.
