Donald Trump and his Colombian counterpart have intensified the tone in their verbal conflict, increasing strains bilaterally after US forces attacked Venezuela to remove the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He operates drug factories and cocaine factories and that won't last much longer," Trump added.
Growing Rhetoric coupled with Accusations
Talking to the press on Sunday, the American leader threatened similar military action against Colombia, stating the country faces serious problems and led by an unwell individual who enjoys creating the drug and selling it to the US."
While Colombia is the globe's biggest cocaine-producing country, there is no evidence implicating Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is directly involved in the business.
A Frayed Partnership
The country for decades served as a close partner of the United States in the campaign against narcotics trade and enjoyed bipartisan support in the US capital, yet ties have worsened significantly following Trump assumed the presidency.
The nation's drug trade is mainly overseen by guerrilla factions including the Golf Clan, another leftist insurgency and renegade units of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), a large contingent of whom demobilised following a 2016 peace deal.
Colombia's Firm Answer
Upon being questioned if a military operation like that in Venezuela was a possibility against his country, Trump replied: "I like the sound of that from my perspective."
President Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who demobilised decades ago, firmly denied the accusations. "I am no an illegitimate leader nor am I a drug trafficker," he stated.
"The US president speaks without information. End the false accusations," he posted online.
"Should American forces attack peasants, they will turn into numerous insurgents across the countryside. And if they detain the nation's leader, whom a large part of the country holds in high esteem, they will release the ‘jaguar’ of the populace," Petro warned.
From Guerrilla to President
He passed part of his youth as a member with the radical M-19 insurgent movement though it is believed he did not engaged in fighting. Following his disarmament, he participated in drafting the constitutional rewrite in 1991 subsequently becoming a prominent senator. He was mayor of the Colombian capital before winning the nation's highest office.
"I swore to abstain from using arms again ... but in defense of my country I will take up weapons once more," he said.
Heightened Measures along with Cross-Political Opposition
Minister Pedro Sánchez reported that the national leader's security detail had been reinforced.
Several members of Colombia’s right wing opposition have allied themselves with Trump's stance, but voices spanning the ideological divide have denounced the notion of American military action targeting Colombia.
Political and Financial Strains
American authorities revoked Petro’s visa following he encouraged American soldiers to refuse any illegal orders. Months later, the US enacted asset freezes on Petro, his wife and various associates.
At the same time as the US increased its military presence in the Caribbean and targeting suspected drug boats against Venezuela’s Maduro, the US executed strikes on maritime targets off the Pacific coast adjacent to Colombia.
