Donald Trump along with his Colombian counterpart have escalated the volume of their exchange, further raising tensions between the two countries after American military units struck Venezuela to remove President Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He runs drug factories and production sites and that won't last much longer," Trump added.
Rising Tensions and Accusations
Speaking to the press over the weekend, the American leader threatened comparable use of force towards the South American nation, claiming Colombia faces serious problems and “run by an unwell individual who enjoys creating the drug and selling it to the US."
While Colombia is the world’s largest producer of cocaine, there is no evidence that President Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is in any way tied to the trade.
A Deteriorating Alliance
The country for decades served as a key ally of the US in the campaign against drug trafficking and received wide political approval from American politicians, however, the relationship have worsened dramatically since Trump came to office.
The nation's drug trade is predominantly run by illegal armed groups including the Golf Clan, another leftist insurgency and dissident factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), a large contingent of whom disbanded subsequent to a 2016 peace deal.
Colombia's Firm Response
When asked whether military intervention comparable to Venezuela was on the cards for Colombia, Trump replied: "That seems like a good idea to me personally."
President Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who demobilised in the 1990s, firmly denied Trump's claims. "I am neither an illegitimate leader and certainly not a narco," he declared.
"The US president speaks uninformed. End the false accusations," he expressed in a post.
"If they [the US] bomb peasants, they will turn into numerous insurgents across the countryside. If they capture the nation's leader, which a large part of the population holds in high esteem, they will unleash the ‘jaguar’ of the populace," Petro warned.
From Insurgent to Leader
Petro spent part of his youth participating in the left-wing M-19 armed organization although reports indicate he did not participated in combat. After demobilizing, he was involved in writing the constitutional rewrite in 1991 subsequently becoming an influential politician. He was mayor of Bogotá before being elected the presidency.
"I pledged to abstain from using arms again ... but for the homeland I will take up arms again," he affirmed.
Heightened Measures and Broad Rejection
Minister Pedro Sánchez reported that the national leader's protection team had been reinforced.
Several members of Colombia’s right wing opposition have expressed support with Trump's stance, but voices spanning the political spectrum have denounced the notion of American military action against their nation.
Diplomatic and Economic Pressure
Washington cancelled the president's entry visa after he urged American soldiers to ignore orders that violate law. Later, in October, it placed financial sanctions on Petro, his wife and various key allies.
Concurrently while America bolstered its military presence near Venezuela and striking suspected drug boats to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets have also conducted operations against vessels off the Pacific coast near Colombia.
