Donald Trump along with Colombia's president have turned up the volume of their exchange, heightening strains in their relations after American military units struck Venezuela to remove the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He operates drug factories and cocaine factories and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.
Escalating Tensions coupled with Accusations
Talking to reporters on Sunday, the American leader hinted at similar armed intervention against Colombia, asserting the nation is “very sick too” and “run by an unwell individual who likes making narcotics and trafficking it to the United States."
While Colombia is the leading producer of cocaine, authorities have found no indication implicating Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is in any way connected to the illicit industry.
A Strained Alliance
This nation for decades served as a staunch collaborator of Washington in the struggle against drug trafficking and benefited from bipartisan support in the US capital, however, the relationship have worsened significantly since Trump came to office.
Its illicit drug economy is largely controlled by illegal armed groups like one major cartel, another leftist insurgency and renegade units of the former Farc guerrillas, most of its former fighters laid down arms following a 2016 peace deal.
The President's Defiant Rebuttal
Upon being questioned if military intervention similar to Venezuela was on the cards regarding Colombia, Trump said: "I like the sound of that from my perspective."
President Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who left armed struggle decades ago, firmly denied the accusations. "I am no illegitimate and I am not a narco," he declared.
"The US president speaks without knowledge. Cease defaming me," he wrote in a post.
"If they [the US] bomb peasants, they will transform into a multitude of fighters across the countryside. If they capture me, which a large part of Colombians admires and supports, they will release the powerful force of the populace," Petro warned.
From Fighter to Leader
Petro spent part of his youth as a member of the leftist M-19 armed organization although reports indicate he did not participated in combat. After demobilizing, he was involved in creating the constitutional rewrite in the early 90s and eventually served as a prominent senator. He served as mayor of the Colombian capital before winning the presidency.
"I swore to never again hold a gun ... but for the homeland I shall resume weapons once more," he affirmed.
Heightened Measures and Cross-Political Opposition
Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that the national leader's protection team was strengthened.
A segment of Colombia’s right wing opposition have sided with Trump's stance, yet figures from across the ideological divide have condemned the notion of an invasion against their nation.
Diplomatic and Financial Pressure
American authorities revoked Petro’s visa following he urged American soldiers to ignore any illegal orders. Later, in October, authorities imposed economic restrictions against the president, his wife and a number of key allies.
Concurrently as the US increased its forces near Venezuela and targeting vessels thought to carry drugs to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets also carried out attacks on boats in the eastern Pacific region near Colombia.
