Donald Trump and his Colombian counterpart have intensified the volume in their verbal conflict, heightening strains bilaterally after American military units struck Venezuela to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He operates narcotics facilities and production sites and that won't last much longer," Trump added.
Escalating Rhetoric and Claims
Talking to reporters on Sunday, the American leader hinted at analogous armed intervention towards the South American nation, asserting Colombia is also "very ill" and “run by a sick man who enjoys creating the drug and selling it to the United States."
While Colombia remains the world’s largest source of the narcotic, there is no evidence implicating Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is directly involved in the illicit industry.
A Frayed Relationship
This nation for decades served as a key ally of the United States in the fight against narcotics trade and benefited from cross-party backing in Washington, but relations have soured significantly after Trump came to office.
Colombia’s illicit drug economy is predominantly run by criminal organizations including one major cartel, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and renegade units of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), the majority of whose members disbanded subsequent to a historic peace agreement.
Colombia's Strong Rebuttal
In response to a query whether armed intervention like that in Venezuela was a possibility for Colombia, Trump said: "It sounds good from my perspective."
President Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who demobilised decades ago, firmly denied these allegations. "I am neither an illegitimate leader and I am not a narco," he affirmed.
"Trump speaks without information. Stop slandering me," he expressed online.
"Should American forces attack civilians, they will turn into thousands of guerrillas in the mountains. If they capture the nation's leader, whom many of the population admires and supports, they will unleash the ‘jaguar’ of the people," the president cautioned.
From Fighter to Leader
He passed a period in his early life belonging with the radical M-19 guerrilla group though it is believed he did not engaged in fighting. Upon leaving the group, he participated in creating the nation's constitution in 1991 subsequently becoming a respected lawmaker. He was mayor of the capital city before being elected the presidency.
"I swore to abstain from using a gun ... but for the homeland I shall resume weapons once more," he vowed.
Heightened Measures along with Cross-Political Opposition
Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that Petro's personal security had been reinforced.
A segment of Colombia’s right wing opposition have sided with Trump's stance, but voices spanning Colombian politics have denounced the threats of an invasion on Colombia.
Bilateral and Financial Sanctions
Washington revoked his travel authorization subsequent to he urged US military personnel to disobey orders that violate law. In October, it placed economic restrictions against the president, the first lady and various associates.
At the same time as the US increased its troop levels in the region and striking suspected drug boats to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, the US also carried out operations on boats in the eastern Pacific region off the Colombian coast.
