The US President and President Gustavo Petro have intensified the volume of their exchange, heightening tensions in their relations after US forces attacked Venezuela with the aim of deposing Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He operates narcotics facilities and processing labs and is not going to be doing it very long," the US president stated.
Escalating Rhetoric and Accusations
Addressing reporters on Sunday, the American leader hinted at analogous use of force towards the South American nation, claiming Colombia faces serious problems and governed by a problematic figure involved in producing the drug and trafficking it to the US."
While Colombia stands as the world’s largest source of the narcotic, there is no evidence implicating Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is in any way connected to the business.
A Deteriorating Alliance
This nation has long been a staunch collaborator of the United States in the campaign against drug trafficking and benefited from cross-party backing in the US capital, but relations have deteriorated significantly following Trump was elected.
The nation's illicit drug economy is mainly overseen by guerrilla factions such as the Clan del Golfo, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and renegade units of the former Farc guerrillas, most of its former fighters demobilised subsequent to a historic peace agreement.
Colombia's Firm Rebuttal
When asked whether military intervention similar to Venezuela was a possibility against his country, Trump replied: "It sounds good to me."
President Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who disarmed decades ago, rejected Trump's claims. "I am neither illegitimate nor am I a drug trafficker," he stated.
"Trump speaks without information. End the false accusations," he wrote in a post.
"If they [the US] bomb rural communities, they will become a multitude of fighters in the mountains. And should they arrest me, which a large part of the country loves and respects, they will release the fierce spirit of the people," the president cautioned.
From Fighter to Leader
He passed a period in his early life participating with the radical M-19 armed organization although reports indicate that he never participated in combat. After demobilizing, he participated in creating the nation's constitution in the early 90s and eventually served as an influential politician. He served as mayor of the Colombian capital before winning the presidency.
"I swore to abstain from using a weapon again ... but in defense of my country I would take up the fight," he affirmed.
Reinforced Protection and Widespread Opposition
Colombia's defense chief reported that the president’s protection team had been reinforced.
Several members of Colombia’s right wing opposition have expressed support with the US president, yet figures from across the ideological divide have denounced the possibility of a US attack against their nation.
Bilateral and Financial Sanctions
The US cancelled the president's entry visa subsequent to he urged US troops to refuse unlawful commands. Later, in October, it placed economic restrictions on Petro, the first lady and several key allies.
Concurrently while America bolstered its military presence near Venezuela and striking vessels thought to carry drugs to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, the US also carried out operations on boats off the Pacific coast near Colombia.
