Donald Trump along with President Gustavo Petro have turned up the rhetoric of their war of words, further raising strains in their relations after US forces targeted Venezuela to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He has narcotics facilities and production sites and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.
Rising Tensions coupled with Claims
Talking to reporters over the weekend, the US president hinted at similar armed intervention towards the South American nation, claiming the country is also "very ill" and led by an unwell individual who enjoys creating the drug and trafficking it to America."
Although Colombia remains the globe's biggest producer of cocaine, authorities have found no indication that President Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is directly connected to the business.
A Strained Partnership
The country was historically a key ally of the United States in the fight against narcotics trade and received bipartisan support in the US capital, yet ties have worsened significantly after Trump came to office.
Its narcotics trade is largely controlled by criminal organizations including the Golf Clan, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and breakaway groups of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), the majority of whose members demobilised after a landmark accord.
The President's Defiant Response
Upon being questioned if a military operation comparable to Venezuela was on the cards regarding Colombia, Trump responded: "I like the sound of that to me."
The Colombian leader, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who demobilised in the 1990s, firmly denied these allegations. "I am neither illegitimate and certainly not a narco," he affirmed.
"Trump speaks without information. Stop slandering me," he posted in a message.
"Should American forces attack peasants, they will become thousands of guerrillas in the hills. And if they detain the president, which many of Colombians holds in high esteem, they will release the powerful force of the nation," Petro warned.
From Fighter to Leader
Petro spent part of his youth belonging in the left-wing M-19 armed organization although reports indicate that he never took part in armed clashes. After demobilizing, he took part in drafting the constitutional rewrite in 1991 subsequently becoming a respected lawmaker. He held the office of mayor of Bogotá before winning the presidency.
"I made a vow to abstain from using a weapon again ... but for Colombia I would take up arms again," he vowed.
Reinforced Protection and Cross-Political Condemnation
The Colombian defence minister stated that the national leader's security detail had received additional support.
Many among Colombia’s right wing opposition have expressed support with Trump, yet figures from all sides of the ideological divide have rejected the possibility of American military action targeting Colombia.
Diplomatic and Economic Pressure
Washington cancelled Petro’s visa subsequent to he encouraged American soldiers to ignore orders that violate law. Months later, authorities imposed financial sanctions against the president, his wife and a number of key allies.
At the same time as the US increased its military presence in the Caribbean and striking alleged narcotics traffickers to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces have also conducted strikes against vessels in the eastern Pacific region off the Colombian coast.
