Donald Trump and his Colombian counterpart have escalated the rhetoric of their exchange, increasing strains in their relations after American military units attacked Venezuela with the aim of deposing Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He operates drug factories and production sites and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.
Escalating Threats coupled with Accusations
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, the US president threatened analogous armed intervention against Colombia, asserting the country is “very sick too” and led by a problematic figure who likes making narcotics and selling it to the US."
While Colombia is the leading producer of cocaine, no proof exists implicating Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is directly connected to the illicit industry.
A Frayed Alliance
This nation has long been a close partner of the US in the struggle against narcotics trade and received wide political approval in the US capital, yet ties have deteriorated significantly after Trump came to office.
The nation's drug trade is largely controlled by criminal organizations including the Clan del Golfo, another leftist insurgency and dissident factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), a large contingent of whom laid down arms after a 2016 peace deal.
The President's Firm Response
In response to a query if a military operation similar to Venezuela was a possibility against his country, Trump responded: "It sounds good from my perspective."
President Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who disarmed in the last century, firmly denied these allegations. "I am not an illegitimate leader and certainly not a drug trafficker," he affirmed.
"The US president speaks without knowledge. Stop slandering me," he wrote in a message.
"Should American forces attack peasants, they will become numerous insurgents in the mountains. And should they arrest the nation's leader, whom a large part of the population admires and supports, they will provoke the ‘jaguar’ of the people," Petro warned.
From Fighter to Statesman
Petro spent some years as a young man as a member of the leftist M-19 armed organization though it is believed that he never participated in combat. Following his disarmament, he participated in creating the constitutional rewrite over three decades ago and later became an influential politician. He was mayor of Bogotá before winning president.
"I made a vow to never again hold a gun ... but for the homeland I would take up the fight," he affirmed.
Heightened Measures and Widespread Opposition
The Colombian defence minister announced that the president’s personal security had been reinforced.
Many among Colombia’s right wing opposition have sided with the US president, however, leaders from all sides of Colombian politics have rejected the notion of American military action targeting Colombia.
Diplomatic and Economic Pressure
American authorities withdrew the president's entry visa after he encouraged US troops to refuse any illegal orders. Later, in October, the US enacted economic restrictions against the president, his wife and a number of close collaborators.
At the same time the US was building up its forces in the Caribbean and bombing alleged narcotics traffickers to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, the US have also conducted operations on maritime targets off the Pacific coast off the Colombian coast.
