President Trump along with his Colombian counterpart have escalated the rhetoric in their verbal conflict, increasing strains between the two countries following American military units attacked Venezuela to remove President Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He operates cocaine mills and production sites and that won't last much longer," Trump remarked.
Escalating Threats and Allegations
Addressing reporters on Sunday, the American leader hinted at comparable armed intervention against Colombia, asserting Colombia faces serious problems and led by a sick man who enjoys creating the drug and selling it to the US."
Although Colombia stands as the leading source of the narcotic, no proof exists linking President Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is directly connected to the business.
A Frayed Partnership
This nation for decades served as a close partner of the US in the struggle against narcotics trade and benefited from cross-party backing in Washington, however, the relationship have deteriorated significantly after Trump assumed the presidency.
Its drug trade is largely controlled by illegal armed groups such as one major cartel, the ELN guerrilla group and dissident factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), most of its former fighters disbanded after a landmark accord.
Colombia's Strong Rebuttal
In response to a query whether military intervention comparable to Venezuela was on the cards regarding Colombia, Trump said: "It sounds good to me."
Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who left armed struggle in the 1990s, firmly denied these allegations. "I am not illegitimate nor am I a narco," he stated.
"The US president speaks without information. Cease defaming me," he expressed in a message.
"If US bombs target rural communities, they will transform into thousands of guerrillas across the countryside. And should they arrest the nation's leader, whom a large part of the population holds in high esteem, they will unleash the powerful force of the populace," Petro warned.
From Fighter to Statesman
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 participated in drafting a new constitution over three decades ago and later became a prominent senator. He was mayor of the Colombian capital before being elected the presidency.
"I pledged to never again hold arms again ... but for the homeland I would take up the fight," he affirmed.
Heightened Measures along with Cross-Political Opposition
The Colombian defence minister reported that Petro's protection team had been reinforced.
A segment of Colombia’s conservative opposition have sided with the US president, but voices from all sides of the ideological divide have denounced the notion of a US attack on Colombia.
Diplomatic and Economic Sanctions
Washington withdrew the president's entry visa following he urged US military personnel to refuse any illegal orders. In October, it placed asset freezes targeting Petro, his spouse and a number of associates.
Simultaneously as the US increased its troop levels in the Caribbean and bombing vessels thought to carry drugs to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets also carried out attacks on maritime targets off the Pacific coast off the Colombian coast.
