President Trump along with his Colombian counterpart have escalated the tone of their war of words, increasing tensions in their relations following American military units struck Venezuela to remove the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories and that won't last much longer," Trump remarked.
Rising Threats and Allegations
Talking to the press over the weekend, the US president threatened analogous use of force against Bogotá, asserting Colombia is also "very ill" and “run by an unwell individual who enjoys creating narcotics and trafficking it to the US."
While Colombia remains the leading cocaine-producing country, authorities have found no indication linking President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is in any way involved in the business.
A Strained Relationship
This nation was historically a key ally of the United States in the campaign against narcotics trade and benefited from wide political approval in Washington, however, the relationship have worsened significantly after Trump assumed the presidency.
Its drug trade is mainly overseen by illegal armed groups such as the Clan del Golfo, the ELN guerrilla group and breakaway groups of the demobilized Farc, a large contingent of whom disbanded following a historic peace agreement.
Petro's Defiant Rebuttal
In response to a query if armed intervention comparable to Venezuela was a possibility for Colombia, Trump responded: "That seems like a good idea to me personally."
The Colombian leader, an ex-guerrilla fighter who left armed struggle in the 1990s, categorically refuted Trump's claims. "I am neither illegitimate nor am I involved in narcotics," he declared.
"He comments uninformed. Stop slandering me," he posted in a post.
"If US bombs target civilians, they will transform into thousands of guerrillas in the hills. And if they detain the nation's leader, which many of Colombians holds in high esteem, they will unleash the ‘jaguar’ of the people," the president cautioned.
From Guerrilla to President
The president dedicated some years as a young man participating in the left-wing M-19 armed organization but is not believed that he never took part in armed clashes. Following his disarmament, he was involved in writing the nation's constitution over three decades ago and eventually served as a prominent senator. He served as mayor of Bogotá prior to his election the nation's highest office.
"I pledged to never again hold a gun ... but in defense of my country I will take up weapons once more," he vowed.
Reinforced Protection and Widespread Condemnation
The Colombian defence minister stated that Petro's personal security was strengthened.
A segment of Colombia’s conservative opposition have allied themselves with the US president, yet figures from across the political spectrum have rejected the possibility of an invasion against their nation.
Bilateral and Economic Strains
Washington cancelled Petro’s visa following he called on US troops to ignore any illegal orders. Months later, authorities imposed asset freezes against the president, his spouse and several key allies.
Concurrently the US was building up its forces near Venezuela and bombing alleged narcotics traffickers to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets also carried out attacks on boats in the eastern Pacific region adjacent to Colombia.
