Donald Trump along with Colombia's president have escalated the volume of their war of words, increasing tensions in their relations after American military units attacked Venezuela with the aim of deposing the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He operates drug factories and processing labs and that won't last much longer," Trump remarked.
Growing Rhetoric and Allegations
Speaking to the press over the weekend, Trump suggested analogous military action towards the South American nation, stating the nation faces serious problems and led by an unwell individual who likes making the drug and selling it to the United States."
While Colombia remains the world’s largest source of the narcotic, authorities have found no indication implicating Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is directly involved in the trade.
A Deteriorating Partnership
Colombia for decades served as a staunch collaborator of the US in the fight against narcotics trade and enjoyed bipartisan support from American politicians, but relations have deteriorated dramatically since Trump came to office.
Its illicit drug economy is predominantly run by criminal organizations like the Clan del Golfo, the ELN guerrilla group and dissident factions of the demobilized Farc, the majority of whose members demobilised following a historic peace agreement.
The President's Strong Answer
When asked whether a military operation similar to Venezuela was being considered against his country, Trump responded: "I like the sound of that to me personally."
The Colombian leader, a former leftist guerrilla who demobilised in the 1990s, firmly denied these allegations. "I am neither an illegitimate leader nor am I involved in narcotics," he declared.
"Trump speaks without knowledge. Cease defaming me," he posted in a post.
"Should American forces attack peasants, they will become thousands of guerrillas in the mountains. If they capture the nation's leader, which a large part of Colombians loves and respects, they will provoke the fierce spirit of the people," he admonished.
From Fighter to Statesman
He passed part of his youth participating with the radical M-19 guerrilla group but is not believed to have ever engaged in fighting. After demobilizing, he participated in creating the constitutional rewrite over three decades ago and later became an influential politician. He served as mayor of Bogotá before being elected the nation's highest office.
"I made a vow to never again hold arms again ... but for Colombia I will take up arms again," he said.
Increased Security and Widespread Rejection
Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that the national leader's personal security had received additional support.
Many among Colombia’s conservative opposition have allied themselves with the US president, but voices from across Colombian politics have denounced the notion of American military action on Colombia.
Bilateral and Economic Pressure
American authorities cancelled his travel authorization after he urged US troops to ignore any illegal orders. In October, it placed asset freezes targeting Petro, his wife and several associates.
At the same time as the US increased its military presence in the region and bombing vessels thought to carry drugs to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, the US have also conducted attacks against vessels off the Pacific coast near Colombia.
