President Trump and President Gustavo Petro have turned up the volume in their verbal conflict, further raising strains between the two countries after US forces attacked Venezuela to remove President Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.
Growing Tensions and Accusations
Speaking to journalists over the weekend, the American leader threatened comparable armed intervention against Colombia, asserting Colombia is “very sick too” and “run by a problematic figure who enjoys creating narcotics and trafficking it to the United States."
While Colombia is the world’s largest cocaine-producing country, authorities have found no indication implicating Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is directly involved in the illicit industry.
A Deteriorating Partnership
Colombia was historically a key ally of the United States in the campaign against narcotics trade and received cross-party backing in the US capital, yet ties have soured markedly after Trump was elected.
Colombia’s narcotics trade is predominantly run by guerrilla factions including the Clan del Golfo, another leftist insurgency and renegade units of the demobilized Farc, a large contingent of whom demobilised after a historic peace agreement.
Colombia's Firm Response
Upon being questioned whether armed intervention like that in Venezuela was on the cards regarding Colombia, Trump replied: "I like the sound of that from my perspective."
The Colombian leader, an ex-guerrilla fighter who disarmed decades ago, rejected the accusations. "I am not illegitimate nor am I a drug trafficker," he stated.
"Trump speaks uninformed. Cease defaming me," he wrote in a post.
"If US bombs target peasants, they will turn into thousands of guerrillas across the countryside. And should they arrest me, whom many of the population admires and supports, they will release the ‘jaguar’ of the people," the president cautioned.
From Insurgent to President
Petro spent some years as a young man participating of the leftist M-19 guerrilla group but is not believed to have ever engaged in fighting. After demobilizing, he was involved in creating a new constitution in the early 90s subsequently becoming a respected lawmaker. He served as mayor of Bogotá before being elected the presidency.
"I pledged to abstain from using a weapon again ... but for Colombia I would take up the fight," he vowed.
Reinforced Protection and Cross-Political Condemnation
Minister Pedro Sánchez reported that the national leader's personal security had been reinforced.
Several members of Colombia’s political right have expressed support with the US president, but voices spanning Colombian politics have condemned the notion of a US attack against their nation.
Diplomatic and Economic Pressure
Washington withdrew the president's entry visa following he urged American soldiers to refuse orders that violate law. In October, the US enacted financial sanctions against the president, his spouse and several close collaborators.
At the same time the US was building up its military presence near Venezuela and targeting suspected drug boats to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets executed operations against vessels in the eastern Pacific region off the Colombian coast.
