President Trump along with Colombia's president have escalated the volume of their war of words, increasing tensions in their relations following American military units attacked Venezuela in an operation to oust President Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He operates drug factories and production sites and that won't last much longer," Trump added.
Growing Threats coupled with Allegations
Addressing journalists on Sunday, the US president threatened similar use of force against Colombia, asserting the country is also "very ill" and “run by a sick man involved in producing the drug and selling it to the US."
Although Colombia is the globe's biggest producer of cocaine, there is no evidence linking President Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is directly tied to the illicit industry.
A Frayed Alliance
This nation for decades served as a staunch collaborator of Washington in the campaign combating drug cartels and enjoyed cross-party backing in Washington, however, the relationship have worsened dramatically following Trump came to office.
The nation's narcotics trade is predominantly run by criminal organizations like one major cartel, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and renegade units of the former Farc guerrillas, most of its former fighters disbanded subsequent to a historic peace agreement.
Colombia's Defiant Rebuttal
In response to a query whether armed intervention like that in Venezuela was being considered against his country, Trump responded: "That seems like a good idea from my perspective."
President Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who demobilised in the last century, firmly denied the accusations. "I am neither illegitimate and certainly not a narco," he affirmed.
"The US president speaks without information. Stop slandering me," he posted in a post.
"Should American forces attack civilians, they will transform into thousands of guerrillas across the countryside. If they capture the president, which a large part of the country admires and supports, they will provoke the powerful force of the populace," Petro warned.
From Insurgent to Leader
Petro spent part of his youth participating in the left-wing M-19 armed organization but is not believed that he never took part in armed clashes. Upon leaving the group, he participated in creating a new constitution over three decades ago and eventually served as a prominent senator. He was mayor of the capital city prior to his election the presidency.
"I swore to abstain from using arms again ... but in defense of my country I would take up the fight," he vowed.
Reinforced Protection and Cross-Political Condemnation
Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that the president’s protection team had been reinforced.
A segment of Colombia’s right wing opposition have allied themselves with the US president, yet figures spanning the ideological divide have denounced the possibility of a US attack on Colombia.
Diplomatic and Economic Sanctions
Washington withdrew Petro’s visa after he urged American soldiers to disobey any illegal orders. Later, in October, it placed financial sanctions on Petro, his spouse and several key allies.
Concurrently the US was building up its military presence in the Caribbean and striking alleged narcotics traffickers to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces executed attacks on maritime targets off the Pacific coast off the Colombian coast.
