President Trump and his Colombian counterpart have intensified the volume of their exchange, further raising strains bilaterally following US forces attacked Venezuela with the aim of deposing the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He has narcotics facilities and cocaine factories and his time is running out," Trump remarked.
Growing Tensions and Claims
Speaking to journalists over the weekend, the American leader threatened analogous armed intervention towards the South American nation, stating the country is also "very ill" and led by a problematic figure involved in producing narcotics and trafficking it to America."
Although Colombia remains the world’s largest source of the narcotic, there is no evidence linking President Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is directly tied to the illicit industry.
A Deteriorating Partnership
The country was historically a close partner of the United States in the fight against narcotics trade and benefited from cross-party backing in the US capital, but relations have deteriorated markedly since Trump came to office.
The nation's drug trade is largely controlled by illegal armed groups like the Golf Clan, the ELN guerrilla group and breakaway groups of the former Farc guerrillas, a large contingent of whom demobilised after a 2016 peace deal.
The President's Firm Rebuttal
When asked if armed intervention like that in Venezuela was a possibility regarding Colombia, Trump said: "That seems like a good idea to me personally."
Petro, an ex-guerrilla fighter who demobilised in the 1990s, categorically refuted the accusations. "I am not an illegitimate leader and certainly not a narco," he stated.
"He comments without knowledge. Stop slandering me," he posted in a post.
"Should American forces attack rural communities, they will transform into thousands of guerrillas in the hills. If they capture the nation's leader, which a large part of the population holds in high esteem, they will release the ‘jaguar’ of the people," the president cautioned.
From Insurgent to Statesman
The president dedicated part of his youth participating in the left-wing M-19 insurgent movement though it is believed that he never engaged in fighting. Following his disarmament, he participated in writing the constitutional rewrite in 1991 and eventually served as a prominent senator. He served as mayor of Bogotá before being elected the presidency.
"I pledged not to touch arms again ... but for the homeland I would take up arms again," he vowed.
Reinforced Protection along with Widespread Rejection
Colombia's defense chief announced that Petro's protection team was strengthened.
Several members of Colombia’s political right have sided with Trump's stance, however, leaders spanning the political spectrum have rejected the threats of American military action against their nation.
Bilateral and Economic Strains
The US withdrew Petro’s visa after he urged US troops to refuse any illegal orders. Later, in October, the US enacted asset freezes targeting Petro, his spouse and a number of associates.
Concurrently the US was building up its military presence in the Caribbean and bombing suspected drug boats to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, the US executed strikes on boats in the eastern Pacific region near Colombia.
