President Trump and President Gustavo Petro have escalated the tone in their verbal conflict, further raising tensions in their relations after American military units targeted Venezuela to remove the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He has drug factories and processing labs and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump remarked.
Growing Rhetoric and Claims
Addressing journalists over the weekend, Trump hinted at analogous military action towards the South American nation, asserting the nation is also "very ill" and “run by a problematic figure who enjoys creating narcotics and distributing it to the United States."
While Colombia stands as the leading producer of cocaine, there is no evidence implicating Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is personally involved in the illicit industry.
A Frayed Partnership
The country was historically a staunch collaborator of the United States in the struggle combating drug cartels and benefited from cross-party backing in Washington, yet ties have soured markedly following Trump was elected.
Colombia’s narcotics trade is mainly overseen by criminal organizations such as the Golf Clan, another leftist insurgency and renegade units of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), most of its former fighters demobilised subsequent to a 2016 peace deal.
The President's Strong Response
When asked whether armed intervention comparable to Venezuela was being considered for Colombia, Trump responded: "I like the sound of that to me."
Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who left armed struggle in the last century, firmly denied the accusations. "I am no illegitimate and I am not a drug trafficker," he declared.
"Trump speaks without knowledge. Stop slandering me," he wrote online.
"If US bombs target peasants, they will become thousands of guerrillas across the countryside. And if they detain the nation's leader, whom a large part of Colombians holds in high esteem, they will unleash the ‘jaguar’ of the nation," Petro warned.
From Fighter to Leader
Petro spent part of his youth as a member of the leftist M-19 insurgent movement although reports indicate he did not took part in armed clashes. After demobilizing, he was involved in drafting a new constitution in 1991 subsequently becoming a respected lawmaker. He was mayor of the Colombian capital prior to his election president.
"I made a vow not to touch a weapon again ... but for the homeland I shall resume the fight," he affirmed.
Reinforced Protection and Broad Opposition
The Colombian defence minister stated that the national leader's security detail had been reinforced.
A segment of Colombia’s right wing opposition have sided with the US president, but voices from all sides of Colombian politics have condemned the possibility of American military action targeting Colombia.
Political and Financial Pressure
The US revoked Petro’s visa following he called on US military personnel to disobey any illegal orders. Months later, it placed financial sanctions targeting Petro, the first lady and several key allies.
Concurrently the US was building up its troop levels in the region and targeting suspected drug boats to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, the US executed operations against vessels in the eastern Pacific region adjacent to Colombia.
