The US President along with Colombia's president have turned up the volume of their war of words, further raising tensions between the two countries after US forces struck Venezuela to remove President Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He has drug factories and cocaine factories and his time is running out," the US president stated.
Growing Rhetoric and Claims
Speaking to the press over the weekend, the US president threatened analogous armed intervention against Bogotá, asserting the nation is “very sick too” and led by a problematic figure who likes making cocaine and selling it to America."
Although Colombia is the globe's biggest source of the narcotic, there is no evidence that President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is personally connected to the business.
A Frayed Alliance
Colombia was historically a close partner of Washington in the struggle combating drug cartels and enjoyed bipartisan support in the US capital, however, the relationship have deteriorated markedly since Trump assumed the presidency.
Its illicit drug economy is mainly overseen by criminal organizations like one major cartel, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and renegade units of the former Farc guerrillas, the majority of whose members demobilised after a historic peace agreement.
Petro's Strong Rebuttal
Upon being questioned if armed intervention like that in Venezuela was on the cards for 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 left armed struggle in the 1990s, rejected the accusations. "I am not an illegitimate leader and certainly not a drug trafficker," he declared.
"The US president speaks without information. Cease defaming me," he posted online.
"If they [the US] bomb peasants, they will transform into a multitude of fighters in the hills. And if they detain me, whom many of Colombians admires and supports, they will unleash the powerful force of the populace," he admonished.
From Fighter to President
The president dedicated some years as a young man belonging with the radical M-19 guerrilla group though it is believed that he never participated in combat. After demobilizing, he took part in writing the nation's constitution in the early 90s subsequently becoming a respected lawmaker. He was mayor of the Colombian capital before being elected the presidency.
"I made a vow to never again hold arms again ... but in defense of my country I shall resume weapons once more," he said.
Reinforced Protection along with Broad Opposition
The Colombian defence minister reported that Petro's security detail had received additional support.
Several members of Colombia’s conservative opposition have allied themselves with Trump, yet figures spanning the political spectrum have denounced the threats of an invasion against their nation.
Political and Financial Strains
The US cancelled the president's entry visa subsequent to he encouraged US troops to refuse any illegal orders. In October, authorities imposed asset freezes against the president, his spouse and several associates.
Simultaneously while America bolstered its forces in the Caribbean and striking alleged narcotics traffickers to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, the US have also conducted attacks on boats in Pacific waters adjacent to Colombia.
