The US President and his Colombian counterpart have escalated the volume in their verbal conflict, increasing tensions bilaterally after US forces struck Venezuela with the aim of deposing Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He operates cocaine mills and cocaine factories and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.
Growing Tensions and Allegations
Speaking to reporters over the weekend, the American leader threatened analogous military action towards the South American nation, asserting the nation is also "very ill" and governed by an unwell individual involved in producing narcotics and trafficking it to the United States."
While Colombia remains the world’s largest cocaine-producing country, authorities have found no indication implicating Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is in any way involved in the trade.
A Deteriorating Partnership
Colombia for decades served as a key ally of the United States in the struggle against drug trafficking and enjoyed cross-party backing in Washington, however, the relationship have soured markedly following Trump came to office.
The nation's drug trade is largely controlled by guerrilla factions such as the Clan del Golfo, the ELN guerrilla group and renegade units of the demobilized Farc, a large contingent of whom demobilised following a landmark accord.
Petro's Defiant Response
In response to a query whether armed intervention similar to Venezuela was a possibility for Colombia, Trump responded: "I like the sound of that to me."
The Colombian leader, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who left armed struggle in the last century, firmly denied the accusations. "I am no illegitimate and certainly not a drug trafficker," he stated.
"The US president speaks without information. Stop slandering me," he wrote in a post.
"If US bombs target rural communities, they will turn into a multitude of fighters in the hills. And if they detain me, whom a large part of the country loves and respects, they will unleash the fierce spirit of the nation," he admonished.
From Guerrilla to Statesman
He passed some years as a young man participating of the leftist M-19 guerrilla group but is not believed he did not participated in combat. Following his disarmament, he participated in creating the constitutional rewrite in 1991 and later became an influential politician. He served as mayor of the capital city before being elected the presidency.
"I swore to abstain from using a gun ... but for Colombia I would take up weapons once more," he vowed.
Heightened Measures along with Broad Opposition
The Colombian defence minister stated that the national leader's security detail was strengthened.
Several members of Colombia’s conservative opposition have expressed support with Trump, however, leaders spanning the ideological divide have denounced the threats of an invasion against their nation.
Political and Financial Pressure
Washington cancelled his travel authorization subsequent to he urged American soldiers to disobey any illegal orders. Months later, authorities imposed economic restrictions targeting Petro, his spouse and several close collaborators.
Concurrently as the US increased its forces near Venezuela and bombing alleged narcotics traffickers to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces executed strikes on boats off the Pacific coast adjacent to Colombia.
