President Trump along with Colombia's president have turned up the tone of their exchange, further raising strains between the two countries after American military units attacked Venezuela to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He has narcotics facilities and production sites and his time is running out," Trump remarked.
Rising Rhetoric coupled with Allegations
Speaking to the press on Sunday, the US president hinted at analogous military action against Bogotá, claiming the country is also "very ill" and led by a sick man who likes making the drug and distributing it to the United States."
While Colombia is the world’s largest cocaine-producing country, no proof exists that President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is in any way connected to the business.
A Strained Partnership
This nation for decades served as a key ally of Washington in the struggle against narcotics trade and benefited from bipartisan support from American politicians, however, the relationship have soured dramatically after Trump assumed the presidency.
Colombia’s illicit drug economy is largely controlled by guerrilla factions like the Golf Clan, the ELN guerrilla group and dissident factions of the demobilized Farc, most of its former fighters demobilised after a 2016 peace deal.
Colombia's Defiant Response
Upon being questioned if military intervention like that in Venezuela was on the cards for Colombia, Trump replied: "It sounds good to me personally."
The Colombian leader, a former leftist guerrilla who left armed struggle in the last century, categorically refuted the accusations. "I am no an illegitimate leader and certainly not a narco," he stated.
"The US president speaks without information. Cease defaming me," he expressed online.
"If they [the US] bomb rural communities, they will transform into thousands of guerrillas across the countryside. If they capture me, which many of the country holds in high esteem, they will provoke the ‘jaguar’ of the nation," Petro warned.
From Insurgent to Leader
Petro spent part of his youth participating with the radical M-19 guerrilla group though it is believed that he never engaged in fighting. Following his disarmament, he was involved in creating the constitutional rewrite in 1991 and later became a respected lawmaker. He was mayor of the Colombian capital prior to his election the nation's highest office.
"I pledged to abstain from using a weapon again ... but in defense of my country I shall resume the fight," he said.
Increased Security and Broad Opposition
The Colombian defence minister stated that Petro's protection team had received additional support.
Many among Colombia’s right wing opposition have allied themselves with the US president, however, leaders from across Colombian politics have rejected the threats of an invasion against their nation.
Diplomatic and Financial Pressure
Washington cancelled his travel authorization following he called on US military personnel to disobey orders that violate law. Months later, it placed financial sanctions on Petro, the first lady and a number of associates.
Simultaneously as the US increased its military presence near Venezuela and targeting vessels thought to carry drugs to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces also carried out attacks against vessels in the eastern Pacific region adjacent to Colombia.
