Donald Trump along with his Colombian counterpart have escalated the volume of their war of words, heightening strains in their relations after American military units targeted Venezuela to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He operates drug factories and production sites and that won't last much longer," Trump remarked.
Rising Threats coupled with Claims
Addressing journalists on Sunday, the American leader hinted at analogous armed intervention towards the South American nation, claiming the country is “very sick too” and “run by a sick man who enjoys creating cocaine and distributing it to America."
Although Colombia stands as the globe's biggest producer of cocaine, no proof exists that President Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is personally tied to the business.
A Strained Alliance
The country was historically a close partner of Washington in the fight against narcotics trade and enjoyed bipartisan support in the US capital, however, the relationship have deteriorated dramatically following Trump assumed the presidency.
Its narcotics trade is predominantly run by criminal organizations like one major cartel, another leftist insurgency and breakaway groups of the former Farc guerrillas, most of its former fighters demobilised following a 2016 peace deal.
Petro's Defiant Rebuttal
When asked whether military intervention comparable to Venezuela was a possibility for Colombia, Trump responded: "I like the sound of that to me."
The Colombian leader, a former leftist guerrilla who disarmed decades ago, firmly denied these allegations. "I am no illegitimate nor am I a drug trafficker," he declared.
"The US president speaks without knowledge. Stop slandering me," he posted online.
"If they [the US] bomb peasants, they will transform into thousands of guerrillas in the mountains. And if they detain me, which many of the country admires and supports, they will release the powerful force of the people," Petro warned.
From Fighter to Leader
Petro spent some years as a young man belonging of the leftist M-19 armed organization although reports indicate that he never took part in armed clashes. After demobilizing, he took part in creating the constitutional rewrite over three decades ago and later became a prominent senator. He served as mayor of the Colombian capital before winning the nation's highest office.
"I made a vow to abstain from using arms again ... but for the homeland I would take up weapons once more," he affirmed.
Reinforced Protection and Cross-Political Opposition
Minister Pedro Sánchez reported that the national leader's security detail had been reinforced.
A segment of Colombia’s right wing opposition have expressed support with Trump's stance, but voices spanning Colombian politics have condemned the possibility of an invasion on Colombia.
Diplomatic and Financial Pressure
The US cancelled his travel authorization subsequent to he encouraged American soldiers to refuse any illegal orders. Later, in October, it placed financial sanctions targeting Petro, his wife and a number of key allies.
At the same time the US was building up its forces in the region and striking vessels thought to carry drugs to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, the US executed attacks on maritime targets in Pacific waters near Colombia.
