The US President along with Colombia's president have turned up the rhetoric of their war of words, increasing tensions in their relations following American military units attacked Venezuela in an operation to oust Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He runs cocaine mills and processing labs and his time is running out," Trump remarked.
Rising Tensions and Allegations
Addressing the press over the weekend, the American leader hinted at similar use of force towards the South American nation, asserting the country is also "very ill" and governed by a sick man involved in producing cocaine and selling it to the United States."
Although Colombia is the world’s largest source of the narcotic, no proof exists linking President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is personally involved in the trade.
A Strained Alliance
Colombia for decades served as a close partner of the United States in the campaign against drug trafficking and enjoyed cross-party backing from American politicians, however, the relationship have deteriorated significantly after Trump was elected.
Its drug trade is predominantly run by criminal organizations like one major cartel, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and dissident factions of the demobilized Farc, a large contingent of whom demobilised after a landmark accord.
Petro's Defiant Rebuttal
In response to a query whether armed intervention like that in Venezuela was being considered against his country, Trump responded: "It sounds good to me."
The Colombian leader, a former leftist guerrilla who demobilised decades ago, rejected these allegations. "I am not illegitimate and I am not involved in narcotics," he stated.
"He comments uninformed. Stop slandering me," he posted in a post.
"Should American forces attack civilians, they will become thousands of guerrillas across the countryside. If they capture the nation's leader, which a significant portion of the population admires and supports, they will provoke the powerful force of the populace," the president cautioned.
From Fighter to Statesman
The president dedicated a period in his early life participating with the radical M-19 insurgent movement but is not believed that he never took part in armed clashes. Upon leaving the group, he took part in drafting a new constitution in 1991 subsequently becoming an influential politician. He held the office of mayor of the capital city before being elected the presidency.
"I pledged to never again hold a weapon again ... but for the homeland I would take up arms again," he affirmed.
Reinforced Protection and Cross-Political Condemnation
Colombia's defense chief stated that the national leader's personal security had received additional support.
A segment of Colombia’s political right have allied themselves with the US president, however, leaders from all sides of the political spectrum have rejected the threats of American military action against their nation.
Diplomatic and Economic Strains
The US withdrew the president's entry visa subsequent to he called on American soldiers to refuse any illegal orders. Later, in October, the US enacted asset freezes targeting Petro, the first lady and a number of close collaborators.
At the same time while America bolstered its forces near Venezuela and bombing suspected drug boats to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets have also conducted attacks on boats in the eastern Pacific region near Colombia.
