President Trump along with his Colombian counterpart have escalated the tone of their war of words, heightening tensions in their relations following American military units struck Venezuela in an operation to oust President Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He has cocaine mills and processing labs and his time is running out," Trump remarked.
Growing Rhetoric coupled with Allegations
Talking to the press over the weekend, the American leader suggested analogous military action against Colombia, asserting the country faces serious problems and “run by a problematic figure who enjoys creating the drug and selling it to America."
While Colombia stands as the leading source of the narcotic, there is no evidence implicating Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is personally tied to the trade.
A Strained Relationship
Colombia for decades served as a key ally of Washington in the campaign combating drug cartels and enjoyed wide political approval in the US capital, yet ties have worsened dramatically after Trump came to office.
Colombia’s drug trade is mainly overseen by criminal organizations including the Clan del Golfo, another leftist insurgency and renegade units of the former Farc guerrillas, a large contingent of whom laid down arms following a 2016 peace deal.
Colombia's Defiant Response
Upon being questioned whether military intervention like that in Venezuela was a possibility regarding Colombia, Trump said: "I like the sound of that to me."
President Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who demobilised in the last century, rejected Trump's claims. "I am no illegitimate and I am not involved in narcotics," he declared.
"He comments uninformed. Stop slandering me," he posted in a message.
"Should American forces attack peasants, they will turn into thousands of guerrillas in the mountains. If they capture the president, which many of Colombians admires and supports, they will release the ‘jaguar’ of the nation," he admonished.
From Fighter to Statesman
He passed part of his youth participating in the left-wing M-19 armed organization but is not believed to have ever participated in combat. Upon leaving the group, he took part in drafting the nation's constitution in 1991 and eventually served as a prominent senator. He served as mayor of Bogotá before being elected president.
"I swore to never again hold a weapon again ... but for Colombia I would take up weapons once more," he said.
Increased Security and Cross-Political Opposition
Colombia's defense chief announced that the president’s personal security was strengthened.
Many among Colombia’s conservative opposition have allied themselves with Trump, but voices spanning the ideological divide have denounced the possibility of a US attack targeting Colombia.
Political and Financial Strains
The US revoked Petro’s visa subsequent to he urged US military personnel to disobey unlawful commands. In October, the US enacted asset freezes against the president, his spouse and a number of close collaborators.
Simultaneously as the US increased its military presence near Venezuela and targeting alleged narcotics traffickers to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces executed strikes on boats in the eastern Pacific region off the Colombian coast.
