President Trump and President Gustavo Petro have escalated the volume of their war of words, further raising strains in their relations after US forces struck Venezuela with the aim of deposing the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He runs drug factories and cocaine factories and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump remarked.
Growing Rhetoric coupled with Accusations
Speaking to reporters over the weekend, the American leader suggested comparable use of force towards the South American nation, stating the country faces serious problems and governed by a sick man involved in producing the drug and trafficking it to the United States."
While Colombia is the leading source of the narcotic, there is no evidence implicating Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is directly involved in the trade.
A Frayed Relationship
This nation for decades served as a close partner of the United States in the fight combating drug cartels and received bipartisan support in Washington, but relations have soured significantly following Trump came to office.
Colombia’s drug trade is mainly overseen by illegal armed groups including one major cartel, the ELN guerrilla group and dissident factions of the former Farc guerrillas, the majority of whose members disbanded subsequent to a 2016 peace deal.
Petro's Strong Rebuttal
When asked whether military intervention similar to Venezuela was on the cards against his country, Trump said: "I like the sound of that to me personally."
The Colombian leader, a former leftist guerrilla who demobilised decades ago, rejected the accusations. "I am not illegitimate nor am I involved in narcotics," he affirmed.
"The US president speaks without knowledge. End the false accusations," he posted in a post.
"If US bombs target peasants, they will become thousands of guerrillas in the mountains. And if they detain the president, which a significant portion of Colombians admires and supports, they will provoke the ‘jaguar’ of the populace," he admonished.
From Fighter to Leader
He passed part of his youth belonging with the radical M-19 armed organization but is not believed he did not took part in armed clashes. Upon leaving the group, he took part in creating the nation's constitution in 1991 and later became a respected lawmaker. He served as mayor of the capital city before being elected president.
"I made a vow not to touch arms again ... but for Colombia I would take up weapons once more," he affirmed.
Reinforced Protection and Widespread Opposition
The Colombian defence minister stated that the national leader's protection team had been reinforced.
Many among Colombia’s conservative opposition have sided with Trump's stance, but voices spanning Colombian politics have condemned the threats of an invasion against their nation.
Bilateral and Financial Strains
American authorities cancelled his travel authorization subsequent to he urged US military personnel to ignore orders that violate law. Months later, it placed economic restrictions targeting Petro, his spouse and a number of close collaborators.
At the same time the US was building up its forces in the region and bombing suspected drug boats to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets executed strikes on maritime targets in Pacific waters near Colombia.
