Donald Trump along with President Gustavo Petro have intensified the volume in their verbal conflict, further raising tensions bilaterally following American military units attacked Venezuela with the aim of deposing Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He runs drug factories and processing labs and his time is running out," the US president stated.
Rising Tensions and Allegations
Speaking to journalists over the weekend, the American leader hinted at analogous armed intervention against Colombia, asserting the nation is “very sick too” and governed by a sick man involved in producing narcotics and trafficking it to the United States."
While Colombia remains the globe's biggest producer of cocaine, authorities have found no indication that President Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is personally involved in the trade.
A Frayed Relationship
The country for decades served as a close partner of the US in the fight against narcotics trade and enjoyed bipartisan support in Washington, yet ties have soured dramatically following Trump was elected.
Colombia’s illicit drug economy is largely controlled by illegal armed groups such as one major cartel, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and breakaway groups of the former Farc guerrillas, a large contingent of whom laid down arms after a landmark accord.
The President's Strong Answer
In response to a query if a military operation similar to Venezuela was on the cards regarding Colombia, Trump said: "I like the sound of that from my perspective."
The Colombian leader, an ex-guerrilla fighter who demobilised in the last century, rejected Trump's claims. "I am no an illegitimate leader and I am not a narco," he stated.
"The US president speaks without knowledge. Stop slandering me," he expressed in a post.
"If they [the US] bomb civilians, they will become a multitude of fighters in the hills. And should they arrest the nation's leader, which a large part of the population admires and supports, they will provoke the powerful force of the people," he admonished.
From Fighter to Leader
Petro spent part of his youth belonging with the radical M-19 insurgent movement but is not believed he did not took part in armed clashes. Upon leaving the group, he took part in writing the constitutional rewrite in the early 90s and eventually served as a prominent senator. He served as mayor of Bogotá prior to his election president.
"I pledged not to touch a gun ... but for the homeland I shall resume the fight," he said.
Increased Security and Widespread Opposition
Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that the national leader's security detail had received additional support.
A segment of Colombia’s political right have sided with the US president, however, leaders from all sides of Colombian politics have condemned the possibility of a US attack against their nation.
Diplomatic and Financial Strains
The US revoked his travel authorization following he encouraged US military personnel to ignore any illegal orders. Later, in October, it placed asset freezes on Petro, his spouse and a number of associates.
Concurrently while America bolstered its forces in the Caribbean and targeting alleged narcotics traffickers to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, the US executed attacks on boats in the eastern Pacific region off the Colombian coast.
