Donald Trump along with Colombia's president have intensified the volume in their verbal conflict, heightening tensions in their relations after US forces struck Venezuela to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He runs cocaine mills and production sites and that won't last much longer," Trump remarked.
Growing Rhetoric coupled with Claims
Speaking to the press over the weekend, Trump suggested comparable use of force towards the South American nation, asserting the nation is “very sick too” and governed by a problematic figure who likes making cocaine and trafficking it to the United States."
While Colombia stands as the globe's biggest source of the narcotic, there is no evidence implicating Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is directly involved in the business.
A Strained Partnership
This nation for decades served as a close partner of the United States in the fight against narcotics trade and benefited from wide political approval from American politicians, but relations have soured significantly following Trump assumed the presidency.
Its illicit drug economy is mainly overseen by illegal armed groups like one major cartel, the ELN guerrilla group and renegade units of the former Farc guerrillas, the majority of whose members laid down arms after a historic peace agreement.
Colombia's Strong Response
Upon being questioned whether a military operation similar to Venezuela was on the cards for Colombia, Trump said: "That seems like a good idea to me personally."
The Colombian leader, an ex-guerrilla fighter who left armed struggle in the 1990s, rejected these allegations. "I am not illegitimate and I am not involved in narcotics," he affirmed.
"The US president speaks without knowledge. End the false accusations," he wrote online.
"If they [the US] bomb civilians, they will transform into thousands of guerrillas in the hills. And should they arrest me, which a significant portion of the population holds in high esteem, they will release the powerful force of the nation," he admonished.
From Fighter to Statesman
The president dedicated a period in his early life belonging with the radical M-19 guerrilla group but is not believed to have ever participated in combat. Upon leaving the group, he was involved in writing the constitutional rewrite in the early 90s subsequently becoming a prominent senator. He was mayor of the Colombian capital before being elected president.
"I swore not to touch a gun ... but for Colombia I shall resume arms again," he affirmed.
Reinforced Protection along with Widespread Opposition
Colombia's defense chief announced that the national leader's protection team had been reinforced.
Many among Colombia’s conservative opposition have expressed support with Trump's stance, yet figures spanning Colombian politics have denounced the possibility of a US attack targeting Colombia.
Bilateral and Economic Sanctions
The US revoked his travel authorization following he encouraged US military personnel to disobey any illegal orders. In October, it placed economic restrictions on Petro, his wife and a number of close collaborators.
At the same time as the US increased its military presence in the region and targeting vessels thought to carry drugs against Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces also carried out attacks against vessels in the eastern Pacific region near Colombia.
