President Trump along with Colombia's president have turned up the volume of their exchange, increasing tensions bilaterally after American military units attacked Venezuela in an operation to oust President Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He runs narcotics facilities and processing labs and his time is running out," Trump remarked.
Growing Rhetoric and Accusations
Talking to the press over the weekend, the American leader hinted at analogous military action against Colombia, asserting the nation is “very sick too” and led by a sick man who enjoys creating the drug and distributing it to the US."
While Colombia remains the globe's biggest producer of cocaine, authorities have found no indication implicating Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is personally tied to the illicit industry.
A Strained Alliance
This nation was historically a key ally of Washington in the struggle against narcotics trade and enjoyed bipartisan support from American politicians, but relations have worsened significantly following Trump came to office.
Colombia’s illicit drug economy is mainly overseen by guerrilla factions such as the Golf Clan, the ELN guerrilla group and renegade units of the demobilized Farc, the majority of whose members disbanded subsequent to a historic peace agreement.
Colombia's Firm Answer
When asked if armed intervention like that in Venezuela was on the cards regarding Colombia, Trump said: "That seems like a good idea from my perspective."
The Colombian leader, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who disarmed in the 1990s, categorically refuted Trump's claims. "I am not an illegitimate leader and certainly not a drug trafficker," he affirmed.
"Trump speaks uninformed. Stop slandering me," he expressed in a message.
"If they [the US] bomb peasants, they will transform into numerous insurgents in the mountains. And should they arrest me, whom a large part of Colombians holds in high esteem, they will release the powerful force of the nation," he admonished.
From Guerrilla to President
The president dedicated some years as a young man belonging in the left-wing M-19 armed organization but is not believed to have ever participated in combat. Upon leaving the group, he participated in drafting the constitutional rewrite over three decades ago and later became an influential politician. He was mayor of the Colombian capital prior to his election president.
"I made a vow to abstain from using arms again ... but for the homeland I will take up arms again," he said.
Heightened Measures and Cross-Political Condemnation
Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that the president’s security detail had been reinforced.
A segment of Colombia’s right wing opposition have allied themselves with the US president, however, leaders from all sides of Colombian politics have rejected the possibility of a US attack targeting Colombia.
Bilateral and Financial Strains
The US cancelled Petro’s visa after he encouraged American soldiers to disobey orders that violate law. In October, the US enacted financial sanctions against the president, his wife and a number of close collaborators.
At the same time as the US increased its troop levels in the region and targeting suspected drug boats against Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets have also conducted operations on boats in the eastern Pacific region off the Colombian coast.
