The US President and Colombia's president have intensified the tone of their war of words, increasing strains bilaterally following US forces attacked Venezuela to remove the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He runs drug factories and cocaine factories and that won't last much longer," Trump remarked.
Escalating Threats coupled with Claims
Talking to reporters over the weekend, Trump threatened analogous military action against Colombia, claiming the nation is also "very ill" and governed by an unwell individual involved in producing cocaine and selling it to the US."
While Colombia is the leading source of the narcotic, authorities have found no indication implicating Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is personally connected to the business.
A Deteriorating Relationship
The country for decades served as a close partner of Washington in the struggle combating drug cartels and enjoyed wide political approval from American politicians, yet ties have soured dramatically after Trump came to office.
The nation's drug trade is largely controlled by criminal organizations such as the Clan del Golfo, another leftist insurgency and renegade units of the demobilized Farc, most of its former fighters disbanded after a landmark accord.
The President's Firm Response
When asked if armed intervention like that in Venezuela was on the cards for Colombia, Trump said: "That seems like a good idea to me personally."
Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who disarmed in the 1990s, firmly denied the accusations. "I am neither an illegitimate leader and I am not a narco," he declared.
"Trump speaks without information. Cease defaming me," he posted online.
"If US bombs target peasants, they will become thousands of guerrillas in the hills. If they capture me, whom a significant portion of the population holds in high esteem, they will provoke the ‘jaguar’ of the nation," Petro warned.
From Insurgent to Statesman
He passed some years as a young man as a member of the leftist M-19 armed organization but is not believed he did not engaged in fighting. After demobilizing, he took part in creating the constitutional rewrite in the early 90s and eventually served as an influential politician. He served as mayor of the capital city prior to his election president.
"I pledged to never again hold arms again ... but in defense of my country I would take up the fight," he affirmed.
Increased Security along with Broad Rejection
Colombia's defense chief stated that the president’s security detail had received additional support.
Many among Colombia’s right wing opposition have allied themselves with Trump, but voices from across the ideological divide have rejected the threats of a US attack against their nation.
Bilateral and Financial Strains
American authorities withdrew his travel authorization subsequent to he urged US military personnel to refuse any illegal orders. In October, authorities imposed asset freezes against the president, his spouse and several associates.
Simultaneously as the US increased its military presence in the Caribbean and striking vessels thought to carry drugs to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, the US also carried out operations against vessels in the eastern Pacific region near Colombia.
