President Trump along with his Colombian counterpart have escalated the rhetoric in their verbal conflict, further raising tensions in their relations following US forces struck Venezuela to remove the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He has cocaine mills and production sites and his time is running out," the US president stated.
Growing Tensions and Claims
Speaking to journalists on Sunday, the US president suggested similar use of force towards the South American nation, asserting the nation is also "very ill" and governed by a sick man who enjoys creating cocaine and distributing it to the United States."
While Colombia remains the world’s largest producer of cocaine, authorities have found no indication that President Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is in any way tied to the trade.
A Deteriorating Alliance
This nation was historically a key ally of Washington in the fight combating drug cartels and benefited from cross-party backing in the US capital, however, the relationship have soured dramatically after Trump assumed the presidency.
The nation's illicit drug economy is mainly overseen by criminal organizations including the Golf Clan, the ELN guerrilla group and renegade units of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), a large contingent of whom laid down arms subsequent to a landmark accord.
Colombia's Strong Rebuttal
Upon being questioned whether a military operation comparable to Venezuela was a possibility against his country, Trump replied: "I like the sound of that from my perspective."
President Petro, an ex-guerrilla fighter who disarmed in the 1990s, categorically refuted Trump's claims. "I am not illegitimate nor am I a drug trafficker," he affirmed.
"The US president speaks uninformed. End the false accusations," he wrote in a message.
"Should American forces attack peasants, they will transform into a multitude of fighters in the mountains. And if they detain the nation's leader, which many of the population admires and supports, they will release the ‘jaguar’ of the nation," Petro warned.
From Fighter to President
Petro spent a period in his early life belonging of the leftist M-19 armed organization although reports indicate he did not participated in combat. Following his disarmament, he participated in creating the constitutional rewrite in 1991 subsequently becoming a respected lawmaker. He was mayor of the Colombian capital before being elected president.
"I made a vow to never again hold a gun ... but for the homeland I shall resume arms again," he affirmed.
Heightened Measures and Widespread Opposition
The Colombian defence minister stated that the national leader's personal security had received additional support.
Several members of Colombia’s conservative opposition have sided with Trump, but voices from across the political spectrum have denounced the threats of an invasion on Colombia.
Political and Economic Sanctions
The US cancelled the president's entry visa subsequent to he urged US troops to ignore orders that violate law. Later, in October, the US enacted economic restrictions targeting Petro, his spouse and various key allies.
Concurrently the US was building up its forces in the Caribbean and bombing suspected drug boats to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets also carried out strikes on maritime targets in the eastern Pacific region off the Colombian coast.
