Donald Trump along with his Colombian counterpart have turned up the tone in their verbal conflict, further raising tensions between the two countries following US forces struck Venezuela to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He has cocaine mills and production sites and is not going to be doing it very long," the US president stated.
Growing Rhetoric and Accusations
Talking to journalists over the weekend, the American leader threatened similar use of force against Colombia, asserting the country is “very sick too” and led by a sick man who likes making narcotics and selling it to the US."
While Colombia remains the world’s largest cocaine-producing country, authorities have found no indication that President Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is personally connected to the illicit industry.
A Frayed Alliance
Colombia for decades served as a key ally of the United States in the struggle combating drug cartels and received cross-party backing in the US capital, however, the relationship have soured significantly after Trump assumed the presidency.
Its drug trade is largely controlled by criminal organizations like the Clan del Golfo, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and dissident factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), most of its former fighters laid down arms subsequent to a 2016 peace deal.
The President's Strong Answer
When asked whether military intervention comparable to Venezuela was a possibility against his country, Trump responded: "I like the sound of that from my perspective."
Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who left armed struggle in the last century, rejected these allegations. "I am neither an illegitimate leader and I am not a narco," he declared.
"The US president speaks uninformed. Stop slandering me," he wrote in a message.
"Should American forces attack peasants, they will become numerous insurgents in the hills. And should they arrest me, whom a significant portion of the population holds in high esteem, they will provoke the powerful force of the populace," Petro warned.
From Guerrilla to Statesman
The president dedicated part of his youth belonging in the left-wing M-19 insurgent movement but is not believed that he never engaged in fighting. Upon leaving the group, he was involved in drafting the constitutional rewrite over three decades ago and later became an influential politician. He was mayor of the capital city before being elected president.
"I pledged not to touch a gun ... but for the homeland I would take up the fight," he vowed.
Increased Security along with Widespread Opposition
Minister Pedro Sánchez stated that the president’s security detail was strengthened.
A segment of Colombia’s conservative opposition have allied themselves with the US president, yet figures from across Colombian politics have denounced the possibility of American military action on Colombia.
Diplomatic and Financial Strains
Washington cancelled his travel authorization following he urged American soldiers to ignore orders that violate law. Later, in October, authorities imposed asset freezes on Petro, his wife and several associates.
Concurrently the US was building up its military presence in the Caribbean and bombing suspected drug boats to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets executed attacks on boats in the eastern Pacific region off the Colombian coast.
