Donald Trump and Colombia's president have turned up the tone of their exchange, increasing tensions between the two countries following US forces targeted Venezuela in an operation to oust President Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He runs cocaine mills and cocaine factories and that won't last much longer," the US president stated.
Rising Threats and Claims
Addressing the press on Sunday, the American leader suggested similar armed intervention against Colombia, claiming the nation is also "very ill" and “run by an unwell individual involved in producing the drug and selling it to America."
While Colombia is the world’s largest producer of cocaine, no proof exists implicating Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is in any way connected to the illicit industry.
A Deteriorating Relationship
This nation has long been a close partner of the United States in the campaign against drug trafficking and enjoyed cross-party backing in the US capital, yet ties have deteriorated markedly following Trump assumed the presidency.
The nation's narcotics trade is predominantly run by guerrilla factions like the Clan del Golfo, another leftist insurgency and renegade units of the former Farc guerrillas, a large contingent of whom demobilised following a 2016 peace deal.
The President's Defiant Answer
Upon being questioned if a military operation comparable to Venezuela was a possibility against his country, Trump replied: "I like the sound of that from my perspective."
Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who left armed struggle in the last century, firmly denied the accusations. "I am no illegitimate and I am not a drug trafficker," he stated.
"Trump speaks without knowledge. Cease defaming me," he wrote online.
"If they [the US] bomb rural communities, they will transform into a multitude of fighters in the mountains. And if they detain the nation's leader, which a significant portion of Colombians admires and supports, they will provoke the fierce spirit of the populace," the president cautioned.
From Insurgent to Statesman
The president dedicated a period in his early life belonging with the radical M-19 guerrilla group but is not believed he did not took part in armed clashes. After demobilizing, he was involved in creating a new constitution over three decades ago and eventually served as a prominent senator. He held the office of mayor of the Colombian capital prior to his election president.
"I pledged to abstain from using arms again ... but for the homeland I would take up arms again," he affirmed.
Heightened Measures and Cross-Political Opposition
Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that Petro's protection team was strengthened.
A segment of Colombia’s political right have sided with Trump, but voices from across the ideological divide have denounced the notion of American military action on Colombia.
Political and Economic Sanctions
American authorities cancelled his travel authorization following he encouraged American soldiers to ignore unlawful commands. Months later, the US enacted economic restrictions against the president, his wife and various close collaborators.
Simultaneously the US was building up its troop levels near Venezuela and targeting alleged narcotics traffickers against Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces have also conducted operations on maritime targets off the Pacific coast near Colombia.
