The US President along with his Colombian counterpart have escalated the rhetoric in their verbal conflict, increasing tensions between the two countries following American military units attacked Venezuela in an operation to oust the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He has cocaine mills and processing labs and that won't last much longer," Trump remarked.
Escalating Rhetoric and Claims
Addressing reporters on Sunday, the US president suggested similar armed intervention against Bogotá, claiming Colombia is “very sick too” and governed by a sick man who enjoys creating the drug and trafficking it to the US."
Although Colombia is the leading source of the narcotic, there is no evidence linking President Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is in any way involved in the trade.
A Strained Partnership
This nation was historically a staunch collaborator of Washington in the fight against narcotics trade and enjoyed cross-party backing in Washington, yet ties have deteriorated significantly after Trump was elected.
The nation's narcotics trade is largely controlled by criminal organizations including the Clan del Golfo, the ELN guerrilla group and renegade units of the former Farc guerrillas, a large contingent of whom demobilised after a landmark accord.
Petro's Defiant Rebuttal
Upon being questioned whether a military operation similar to Venezuela was being considered against his country, Trump responded: "It sounds good to me personally."
President Petro, an ex-guerrilla fighter who demobilised in the 1990s, rejected Trump's claims. "I am no an illegitimate leader and I am not a narco," he stated.
"Trump speaks uninformed. Cease defaming me," he wrote in a post.
"If US bombs target peasants, they will become thousands of guerrillas in the hills. And should they arrest the nation's leader, whom a significant portion of the population loves and respects, they will unleash the ‘jaguar’ of the people," the president cautioned.
From Fighter to Leader
Petro spent part of his youth participating in the left-wing M-19 guerrilla group although reports indicate he did not engaged in fighting. Following his disarmament, he was involved in creating a new constitution in 1991 subsequently becoming a respected lawmaker. He held the office of mayor of the Colombian capital before being elected the presidency.
"I pledged to abstain from using a gun ... but for the homeland I would take up the fight," he vowed.
Heightened Measures along with Broad Condemnation
The Colombian defence minister announced that the national leader's protection team had received additional support.
A segment of Colombia’s right wing opposition have expressed support with the US president, however, leaders spanning the political spectrum have denounced the possibility of a US attack against their nation.
Diplomatic and Financial Sanctions
American authorities revoked his travel authorization following he urged US military personnel to disobey orders that violate law. In October, it placed economic restrictions against the president, his wife and various close collaborators.
At the same time the US was building up its troop levels in the Caribbean and striking vessels thought to carry drugs to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, the US also carried out strikes on boats off the Pacific coast near Colombia.
