Donald Trump along with his Colombian counterpart have escalated the volume of their exchange, heightening tensions bilaterally following US forces struck Venezuela in an operation to oust President Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He runs cocaine mills and production sites and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump remarked.
Rising Threats and Accusations
Talking to the press on Sunday, the American leader threatened comparable armed intervention towards the South American nation, stating the country faces serious problems and governed by an unwell individual who likes making narcotics and trafficking it to the US."
While Colombia remains the world’s largest source of the narcotic, authorities have found no indication that President Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is personally involved in the business.
A Frayed Partnership
Colombia has long been a close partner of the United States in the fight against drug trafficking and benefited from bipartisan support in the US capital, however, the relationship have worsened significantly following Trump came to office.
The nation's narcotics trade is mainly overseen by guerrilla factions including one major cartel, another leftist insurgency and renegade units of the demobilized Farc, most of its former fighters disbanded after a 2016 peace deal.
The President's Strong Response
In response to a query if armed intervention comparable to Venezuela was a possibility for Colombia, Trump responded: "I like the sound of that to me personally."
Petro, an ex-guerrilla fighter who disarmed in the 1990s, firmly denied Trump's claims. "I am neither an illegitimate leader nor am I a drug trafficker," he affirmed.
"He comments uninformed. Cease defaming me," he wrote online.
"If they [the US] bomb civilians, they will turn into a multitude of fighters in the mountains. And if they detain the nation's leader, whom a significant portion of the country admires and supports, they will provoke the ‘jaguar’ of the nation," he admonished.
From Fighter to Statesman
The president dedicated a period in his early life participating in the left-wing M-19 armed organization but is not believed that he never took part in armed clashes. Upon leaving the group, he took part in creating a new constitution in the early 90s and eventually served as an influential politician. He held the office of mayor of the Colombian capital before winning the presidency.
"I pledged to never again hold a weapon again ... but in defense of my country I shall resume weapons once more," he affirmed.
Heightened Measures along with Broad Opposition
Minister Pedro Sánchez reported that the national leader's protection team had been reinforced.
A segment of Colombia’s right wing opposition have sided with the US president, however, leaders spanning Colombian politics have rejected the threats of American military action against their nation.
Diplomatic and Financial Sanctions
American authorities withdrew the president's entry visa after he encouraged American soldiers to ignore any illegal orders. Months later, it placed financial sanctions against the president, the first lady and several associates.
Simultaneously while America bolstered its military presence in the region and targeting suspected drug boats to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets have also conducted strikes on maritime targets in Pacific waters off the Colombian coast.
