President Trump and President Gustavo Petro have turned up the tone of their war of words, increasing tensions between the two countries following US forces struck Venezuela with the aim of deposing President Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He has drug factories and production sites and that won't last much longer," Trump added.
Growing Threats coupled with Accusations
Talking to the press on Sunday, Trump threatened comparable armed intervention against Colombia, asserting Colombia is also "very ill" and “run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States."
Although Colombia remains the leading source of the narcotic, there is no evidence linking President Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is personally tied to the trade.
A Deteriorating Partnership
The country for decades served as a staunch collaborator of the United States in the fight combating drug cartels and benefited from bipartisan support in the US capital, yet ties have soured markedly after Trump was elected.
Its illicit drug economy is largely controlled by illegal armed groups such as the Clan del Golfo, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and breakaway groups of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), the majority of whose members laid down arms subsequent to a 2016 peace deal.
The President's Strong Rebuttal
Upon being questioned if a military operation comparable to Venezuela was a possibility regarding Colombia, Trump responded: "It sounds good from my perspective."
President Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who demobilised in the last century, rejected the accusations. "I am neither an illegitimate leader and I am not involved in narcotics," he affirmed.
"The US president speaks without information. End the false accusations," he wrote in a post.
"If they [the US] bomb civilians, they will turn into thousands of guerrillas in the hills. And if they detain the nation's leader, which many of Colombians holds in high esteem, they will release the ‘jaguar’ of the populace," Petro warned.
From Insurgent to Statesman
Petro spent some years as a young man participating with the radical M-19 armed organization though it is believed to have ever took part in armed clashes. Following his disarmament, he took part in creating a new constitution in 1991 and later became a prominent senator. He was mayor of Bogotá before being elected president.
"I swore to abstain from using a weapon again ... but for Colombia I will take up the fight," he vowed.
Heightened Measures and Widespread Opposition
Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that the national leader's personal security had received additional support.
Several members of Colombia’s political right have sided with Trump, yet figures from across Colombian politics have denounced the notion of a US attack on Colombia.
Bilateral and Financial Sanctions
The US withdrew his travel authorization subsequent to he called on American soldiers to disobey any illegal orders. Later, in October, authorities imposed asset freezes targeting Petro, his spouse and various associates.
Concurrently while America bolstered its military presence near Venezuela and striking alleged narcotics traffickers to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, the US executed attacks against vessels in the eastern Pacific region adjacent to Colombia.
