President Trump and Colombia's president have intensified the tone of their exchange, increasing strains bilaterally after US forces struck Venezuela to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He runs cocaine mills and production sites and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump remarked.
Escalating Tensions and Claims
Talking to journalists over the weekend, Trump threatened similar use of force against Bogotá, asserting the country is also "very ill" and governed by an unwell individual who likes making the drug and trafficking it to the US."
While Colombia stands as the globe's biggest source of the narcotic, there is no evidence linking President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is directly involved in the business.
A Strained Alliance
Colombia was historically a staunch collaborator of the US in the struggle against drug trafficking and received bipartisan support in Washington, but relations have worsened dramatically following Trump assumed the presidency.
The nation's narcotics trade is predominantly run by criminal organizations including one major cartel, another leftist insurgency and dissident factions of the demobilized Farc, the majority of whose members disbanded following a 2016 peace deal.
Petro's Defiant Answer
When asked whether armed intervention like that in Venezuela was a possibility regarding Colombia, Trump replied: "It sounds good to me personally."
Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who demobilised decades ago, firmly denied the accusations. "I am no illegitimate nor am I involved in narcotics," he declared.
"The US president speaks without knowledge. Cease defaming me," he posted in a message.
"If US bombs target civilians, they will become numerous insurgents in the hills. And should they arrest me, which a large part of Colombians admires and supports, they will unleash the ‘jaguar’ of the nation," Petro warned.
From Fighter to Leader
He passed part of his youth belonging of the leftist M-19 armed organization though it is believed that he never participated in combat. After demobilizing, he took part in creating the constitutional rewrite over three decades ago subsequently becoming a respected lawmaker. He held the office of mayor of Bogotá before winning president.
"I made a vow to abstain from using arms again ... but for the homeland I would take up weapons once more," he vowed.
Heightened Measures and Cross-Political Opposition
The Colombian defence minister reported that the president’s protection team was strengthened.
Several members of Colombia’s conservative opposition have sided with Trump, however, leaders spanning the ideological divide have denounced the threats of a US attack targeting Colombia.
Diplomatic and Financial Pressure
Washington withdrew Petro’s visa following he called on US military personnel to ignore unlawful commands. Months later, the US enacted financial sanctions on Petro, the first lady and a number of key allies.
At the same time while America bolstered its military presence in the region and bombing vessels thought to carry drugs to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets have also conducted operations against vessels in the eastern Pacific region adjacent to Colombia.
