President Trump along with his Colombian counterpart have escalated the tone in their verbal conflict, increasing tensions between the two countries following American military units targeted Venezuela in an operation to oust the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He has drug factories and processing labs and that won't last much longer," Trump added.
Escalating Rhetoric and Claims
Speaking to the press over the weekend, Trump suggested analogous armed intervention against Bogotá, claiming Colombia is also "very ill" and governed by a problematic figure who likes making the drug and distributing it to the United States."
While Colombia stands as the globe's biggest cocaine-producing country, there is no evidence that President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is directly involved in the illicit industry.
A Deteriorating Partnership
This nation for decades served as a close partner of the US in the fight against narcotics trade and benefited from cross-party backing in Washington, but relations have worsened significantly since Trump assumed the presidency.
Its drug trade is largely controlled by illegal armed groups such as one major cartel, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and renegade units of the demobilized Farc, most of its former fighters laid down arms following a historic peace agreement.
Colombia's Defiant Rebuttal
When asked whether military intervention similar to Venezuela was on the cards for Colombia, Trump responded: "It sounds good to me."
The Colombian leader, a former leftist guerrilla who left armed struggle in the last century, firmly denied the accusations. "I am not illegitimate nor am I involved in narcotics," he declared.
"Trump speaks without information. Cease defaming me," he posted online.
"If US bombs target civilians, they will turn into thousands of guerrillas in the mountains. If they capture me, whom a significant portion of the country holds in high esteem, they will provoke the powerful force of the nation," the president cautioned.
From Guerrilla to President
The president dedicated some years as a young man participating in the left-wing M-19 guerrilla group but is not believed that he never participated in combat. Upon leaving the group, he took part in creating the constitutional rewrite in 1991 and later became a respected lawmaker. He was mayor of the Colombian capital before being elected the nation's highest office.
"I swore to abstain from using arms again ... but for the homeland I shall resume arms again," he affirmed.
Heightened Measures and Cross-Political Opposition
Colombia's defense chief stated that the national leader's protection team had been reinforced.
Several members of Colombia’s conservative opposition have allied themselves with the US president, however, leaders from across the ideological divide have condemned the notion of American military action against their nation.
Diplomatic and Financial Sanctions
The US revoked Petro’s visa following he called on US military personnel to ignore any illegal orders. Later, in October, authorities imposed financial sanctions against the president, his spouse and a number of associates.
Concurrently while America bolstered its military presence in the Caribbean and bombing alleged narcotics traffickers against Venezuela’s Maduro, the US have also conducted attacks against vessels in the eastern Pacific region adjacent to Colombia.
