Donald Trump and Colombia's president have intensified the volume of their war of words, increasing tensions bilaterally after US forces attacked Venezuela to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories and his time is running out," Trump added.
Escalating Rhetoric and Accusations
Talking to reporters on Sunday, the American leader suggested comparable armed intervention towards the South American nation, asserting Colombia is “very sick too” and “run by a problematic figure who likes making narcotics and distributing it to the United States."
While Colombia remains the world’s largest cocaine-producing country, there is no evidence linking President Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is in any way involved in the illicit industry.
A Deteriorating Partnership
The country for decades served as a key ally of the United States in the fight against narcotics trade and benefited from cross-party backing in the US capital, however, the relationship have soured significantly since Trump came to office.
The nation's drug trade is largely controlled by illegal armed groups including one major cartel, another leftist insurgency and renegade units of the demobilized Farc, most of its former fighters demobilised after a 2016 peace deal.
Petro's Defiant Rebuttal
Upon being questioned whether armed intervention similar to Venezuela was being considered regarding Colombia, Trump responded: "I like the sound of that to me."
President Petro, an ex-guerrilla fighter who demobilised in the 1990s, firmly denied the accusations. "I am not an illegitimate leader and certainly not a drug trafficker," he stated.
"Trump speaks without information. Stop slandering me," he posted in a message.
"If US bombs target civilians, they will transform into thousands of guerrillas in the mountains. If they capture me, which many of the country admires and supports, they will release the fierce spirit of the populace," the president cautioned.
From Fighter to Leader
He passed part of his youth participating of the leftist M-19 armed organization but is not believed he did not took part in armed clashes. Following his disarmament, he participated in creating a new constitution in the early 90s subsequently becoming a respected lawmaker. He was mayor of the Colombian capital prior to his election the nation's highest office.
"I pledged not to touch arms again ... but in defense of my country I would take up arms again," he affirmed.
Heightened Measures and Widespread Rejection
The Colombian defence minister stated that the president’s protection team had received additional support.
A segment of Colombia’s right wing opposition have allied themselves with the US president, yet figures spanning the ideological divide have condemned the possibility of an invasion on Colombia.
Diplomatic and Financial Pressure
The US cancelled the president's entry visa after he called on US troops to disobey orders that violate law. Later, in October, it placed financial sanctions targeting Petro, his wife and a number of associates.
Simultaneously as the US increased its forces near Venezuela and targeting suspected drug boats to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces executed operations on boats in the eastern Pacific region adjacent to Colombia.
