President Trump along with his Colombian counterpart have turned up the tone of their exchange, heightening tensions between the two countries after American military units struck Venezuela with the aim of deposing President Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He has drug factories and production sites and his time is running out," the US president stated.
Escalating Threats coupled with Accusations
Talking to journalists over the weekend, the American leader hinted at similar armed intervention against Colombia, asserting the country faces serious problems and governed by a problematic figure involved in producing narcotics and selling it to the United States."
Although Colombia stands as the leading cocaine-producing country, there is no evidence implicating Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is in any way tied to the trade.
A Strained Alliance
Colombia has long been a staunch collaborator of the United States in the struggle against narcotics trade and benefited from bipartisan support in the US capital, but relations have worsened markedly since Trump came to office.
The nation's drug trade is mainly overseen by illegal armed groups like the Clan del Golfo, another leftist insurgency and renegade units of the former Farc guerrillas, a large contingent of whom demobilised following a historic peace agreement.
The President's Strong Response
In response to a query if armed intervention similar to Venezuela was being considered regarding Colombia, Trump responded: "It sounds good to me personally."
The Colombian leader, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who left armed struggle in the last century, firmly denied these allegations. "I am not illegitimate and I am not a narco," he stated.
"The US president speaks without information. Cease defaming me," he wrote in a post.
"If US bombs target rural communities, they will transform into thousands of guerrillas in the hills. And if they detain the nation's leader, whom many of the population admires and supports, they will unleash the powerful force of the populace," he admonished.
From Fighter to Leader
He passed part of his youth participating in the left-wing M-19 armed organization though it is believed to have ever engaged in fighting. After demobilizing, he was involved in creating the constitutional rewrite over three decades ago subsequently becoming an influential politician. He served as mayor of the Colombian capital before being elected the presidency.
"I pledged not to touch arms again ... but for Colombia I would take up the fight," he affirmed.
Reinforced Protection along with Cross-Political Condemnation
The Colombian defence minister announced that the president’s personal security was strengthened.
A segment of Colombia’s political right have expressed support with Trump's stance, but voices from across Colombian politics have denounced the notion of an invasion targeting Colombia.
Political and Financial Strains
American authorities withdrew his travel authorization following he called on American soldiers to refuse orders that violate law. Later, in October, the US enacted asset freezes on Petro, his wife and various close collaborators.
At the same time while America bolstered its troop levels in the Caribbean and bombing alleged narcotics traffickers against Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets executed operations on maritime targets in the eastern Pacific region off the Colombian coast.
