The US President along with President Gustavo Petro have escalated the rhetoric of their exchange, further raising strains bilaterally following US forces struck Venezuela to remove the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He operates drug factories and production sites and is not going to be doing it very long," the US president stated.
Growing Rhetoric and Claims
Speaking to the press on Sunday, the US president threatened analogous military action towards the South American nation, stating the nation faces serious problems and governed by an unwell individual involved in producing narcotics and distributing it to the US."
While Colombia is the world’s largest source of the narcotic, authorities have found no indication implicating Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is in any way tied to the illicit industry.
A Frayed Relationship
This nation was historically a key ally of the US in the struggle against drug trafficking and received cross-party backing in the US capital, yet ties have deteriorated markedly since Trump was elected.
The nation's narcotics trade is mainly overseen by guerrilla factions such as one major cartel, the ELN guerrilla group and breakaway groups of the demobilized Farc, a large contingent of whom disbanded after a historic peace agreement.
Petro's Defiant Response
Upon being questioned if a military operation like that in Venezuela was a possibility for Colombia, Trump said: "That seems like a good idea from my perspective."
The Colombian leader, a former leftist guerrilla who disarmed decades ago, rejected Trump's claims. "I am no illegitimate and certainly not involved in narcotics," he declared.
"Trump speaks uninformed. End the false accusations," he wrote online.
"If they [the US] bomb civilians, they will transform into numerous insurgents across the countryside. And if they detain the nation's leader, which a significant portion of Colombians holds in high esteem, they will provoke the ‘jaguar’ of the populace," Petro warned.
From Fighter to Leader
The president dedicated some years as a young man as a member in the left-wing M-19 guerrilla group but is not believed that he never engaged in fighting. After demobilizing, he participated in drafting a new constitution in 1991 subsequently becoming an influential politician. He held the office of mayor of the Colombian capital prior to his election president.
"I made a vow to never again hold a gun ... but for Colombia I would take up the fight," he affirmed.
Increased Security and Cross-Political Opposition
The Colombian defence minister reported that the national leader's personal security had received additional support.
Many among Colombia’s conservative opposition have allied themselves with the US president, yet figures from across the political spectrum have rejected the possibility of an invasion against their nation.
Political and Economic Sanctions
American authorities cancelled his travel authorization following he urged US troops to ignore any illegal orders. Months later, it placed economic restrictions targeting Petro, his spouse and various associates.
Concurrently the US was building up its military presence in the Caribbean and bombing alleged narcotics traffickers against Venezuela’s Maduro, the US executed operations on boats in the eastern Pacific region adjacent to Colombia.
