President Trump and President Gustavo Petro have intensified the volume of their exchange, increasing tensions between the two countries following American military units targeted Venezuela to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He runs cocaine mills and cocaine factories and his time is running out," Trump remarked.
Escalating Tensions coupled with Claims
Talking to journalists on Sunday, the US president threatened comparable use of force towards the South American nation, asserting the country is “very sick too” and governed by a sick man who likes making cocaine and distributing it to America."
While Colombia is the world’s largest producer of cocaine, no proof exists linking President Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is personally connected to the illicit industry.
A Strained Alliance
This nation for decades served as a close partner of Washington in the fight against narcotics trade and benefited from wide political approval in Washington, however, the relationship have soured significantly after Trump was elected.
Its narcotics trade is predominantly run by illegal armed groups like the Golf Clan, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and breakaway groups of the demobilized Farc, a large contingent of whom disbanded after a 2016 peace deal.
The President's Firm Rebuttal
In response to a query if armed intervention similar to Venezuela was being considered against his country, Trump replied: "It sounds good from my perspective."
President Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who disarmed decades ago, firmly denied the accusations. "I am neither an illegitimate leader nor am I a drug trafficker," he affirmed.
"Trump speaks uninformed. Stop slandering me," he posted online.
"If US bombs target civilians, they will turn into thousands of guerrillas in the hills. And if they detain me, whom a significant portion of the population admires and supports, they will provoke the ‘jaguar’ of the nation," Petro warned.
From Fighter to President
The president dedicated some years as a young man participating of the leftist M-19 armed organization but is not believed to have ever took part in armed clashes. Following his disarmament, he participated in drafting the constitutional rewrite over three decades ago and later became a respected lawmaker. He was mayor of Bogotá before being elected president.
"I made a vow not to touch arms again ... but for Colombia I will take up arms again," he affirmed.
Heightened Measures and Cross-Political Opposition
The Colombian defence minister reported that the president’s protection team had received additional support.
A segment of Colombia’s right wing opposition have sided with Trump's stance, but voices spanning Colombian politics have denounced the notion of American military action targeting Colombia.
Diplomatic and Economic Pressure
The US cancelled his travel authorization subsequent to he encouraged American soldiers to ignore orders that violate law. In October, the US enacted asset freezes against the president, the first lady and various key allies.
Simultaneously while America bolstered its troop levels in the region and targeting alleged narcotics traffickers to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, the US also carried out operations on boats in the eastern Pacific region near Colombia.
