The US President and President Gustavo Petro have turned up the tone of their war of words, heightening tensions bilaterally after American military units targeted Venezuela to remove President Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He runs narcotics facilities and production sites and is not going to be doing it very long," the US president stated.
Rising Rhetoric and Accusations
Talking to the press over the weekend, the US president suggested analogous armed intervention against Colombia, asserting the country is “very sick too” and “run by an unwell individual involved in producing the drug and selling it to America."
Although Colombia is the globe's biggest source of the narcotic, there is no evidence linking President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is directly tied to the trade.
A Frayed Alliance
The country has long been a key ally of Washington in the fight combating drug cartels and received bipartisan support from American politicians, yet ties have worsened markedly after Trump assumed the presidency.
Its drug trade is mainly overseen by illegal armed groups including the Clan del Golfo, the ELN guerrilla group and breakaway groups of the demobilized Farc, a large contingent of whom disbanded after a historic peace agreement.
Petro's Firm Response
When asked if armed intervention like that in Venezuela was a possibility regarding Colombia, Trump replied: "It sounds good from my perspective."
Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who disarmed in the 1990s, categorically refuted the accusations. "I am no an illegitimate leader and I am not a drug trafficker," he affirmed.
"Trump speaks without knowledge. Cease defaming me," he wrote in a message.
"If US bombs target rural communities, they will become a multitude of fighters in the hills. If they capture the president, whom many of the country admires and supports, they will release the ‘jaguar’ of the nation," Petro warned.
From Guerrilla to Statesman
Petro spent some years as a young man as a member of the leftist M-19 armed organization though it is believed that he never took part in armed clashes. After demobilizing, he participated in writing the constitutional rewrite in 1991 and later became a prominent senator. He was mayor of Bogotá before being elected president.
"I pledged to never again hold a weapon again ... but for Colombia I would take up weapons once more," he affirmed.
Reinforced Protection and Cross-Political Opposition
Minister Pedro Sánchez reported that the president’s personal security had been reinforced.
Many among Colombia’s political right have sided with the US president, but voices from across the political spectrum have rejected the possibility of a US attack on Colombia.
Bilateral and Financial Strains
The US withdrew his travel authorization subsequent to he called on American soldiers to refuse unlawful commands. Later, in October, it placed economic restrictions against the president, his wife and a number of close collaborators.
At the same time as the US increased its military presence in the Caribbean and targeting suspected drug boats to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces have also conducted strikes on maritime targets in Pacific waters adjacent to Colombia.
