Donald Trump and Colombia's president have escalated the rhetoric of their war of words, increasing strains bilaterally following American military units targeted Venezuela to remove the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He has narcotics facilities and processing labs and his time is running out," the US president stated.
Growing Threats and Claims
Talking to journalists on Sunday, Trump suggested similar use of force against Bogotá, asserting the country is “very sick too” and “run by an unwell individual who likes making the drug and distributing it to the US."
While Colombia is the world’s largest source of the narcotic, there is no evidence that President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is personally tied to the business.
A Strained Alliance
Colombia for decades served as a close partner of the US in the campaign against drug trafficking and benefited from wide political approval in the US capital, yet ties have soured dramatically since Trump was elected.
Colombia’s drug trade is mainly overseen by illegal armed groups like the Golf Clan, another leftist insurgency and breakaway groups of the former Farc guerrillas, the majority of whose members disbanded after a 2016 peace deal.
The President's Strong Rebuttal
When asked if armed intervention like that in Venezuela was on the cards for Colombia, Trump replied: "I like the sound of that to me."
President Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who left armed struggle in the 1990s, firmly denied the accusations. "I am no an illegitimate leader and I am not a narco," he affirmed.
"The US president speaks without information. Stop slandering me," he wrote in a post.
"If they [the US] bomb rural communities, they will become a multitude of fighters in the mountains. And should they arrest the president, whom a large part of Colombians admires and supports, they will provoke the fierce spirit of the populace," he admonished.
From Fighter to President
He passed a period in his early life participating with the radical M-19 guerrilla group though it is believed he did not engaged in fighting. Following his disarmament, he was involved in writing the nation's constitution in 1991 and later became a prominent senator. He served as mayor of Bogotá before winning the nation's highest office.
"I made a vow not to touch a gun ... but for Colombia I will take up arms again," he affirmed.
Heightened Measures and Widespread Condemnation
Minister Pedro Sánchez stated that Petro's personal security was strengthened.
Many among Colombia’s conservative opposition have sided with Trump, yet figures spanning the ideological divide have rejected the notion of a US attack targeting Colombia.
Bilateral and Economic Sanctions
American authorities withdrew Petro’s visa after he called on US troops to ignore orders that violate law. In October, authorities imposed financial sanctions on Petro, the first lady and various key allies.
Concurrently as the US increased its troop levels in the region and bombing alleged narcotics traffickers to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets have also conducted attacks on boats in the eastern Pacific region near Colombia.
