The US President and his Colombian counterpart have turned up the rhetoric in their verbal conflict, heightening tensions between the two countries following US forces targeted Venezuela in an operation to oust Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He has cocaine mills and production sites and that won't last much longer," Trump remarked.
Escalating Threats coupled with Accusations
Talking to reporters over the weekend, the American leader suggested similar armed intervention against Colombia, stating the country is also "very ill" and “run by a sick man who enjoys creating narcotics and selling it to the United States."
Although Colombia remains the globe's biggest producer of cocaine, no proof exists implicating Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is in any way involved in the illicit industry.
A Frayed Partnership
Colombia was historically a key ally of Washington in the fight against narcotics trade and benefited from wide political approval in the US capital, yet ties have soured dramatically after Trump was elected.
The nation's drug trade is largely controlled by criminal organizations including one major cartel, another leftist insurgency and dissident factions of the former Farc guerrillas, most of its former fighters demobilised subsequent to a landmark accord.
The President's Defiant Response
Upon being questioned whether armed intervention comparable to Venezuela was on the cards for Colombia, Trump responded: "That seems like a good idea to me."
President Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who left armed struggle in the 1990s, rejected these allegations. "I am no illegitimate and I am not a narco," he declared.
"The US president speaks without information. Cease defaming me," he posted in a post.
"If US bombs target peasants, they will transform into thousands of guerrillas in the hills. And should they arrest me, which a significant portion of the country loves and respects, they will provoke the fierce spirit of the people," he admonished.
From Insurgent to Statesman
The president dedicated a period in his early life as a member of the leftist M-19 guerrilla group but is not believed he did not engaged in fighting. Following his disarmament, he was involved in writing a new constitution over three decades ago and eventually served as an influential politician. He served as mayor of the Colombian capital before winning president.
"I pledged to never again hold arms again ... but for the homeland I will take up weapons once more," he said.
Heightened Measures along with Broad Opposition
Colombia's defense chief reported that Petro's personal security had received additional support.
A segment of Colombia’s right wing opposition have sided with Trump's stance, however, leaders from all sides of the ideological divide have denounced the notion of an invasion on Colombia.
Bilateral and Economic Sanctions
The US withdrew Petro’s visa after he urged US military personnel to disobey unlawful commands. Months later, it placed economic restrictions targeting Petro, his wife and a number of close collaborators.
Simultaneously the US was building up its troop levels near Venezuela and targeting suspected drug boats against Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets also carried out operations on boats in the eastern Pacific region near Colombia.
