President Trump along with President Gustavo Petro have intensified the tone of their exchange, increasing tensions in their relations after US forces struck Venezuela to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump remarked.
Escalating Rhetoric coupled with Accusations
Speaking to the press on Sunday, the US president threatened similar military action towards the South American nation, asserting the nation faces serious problems and governed by a problematic figure who enjoys creating cocaine and distributing it to America."
While Colombia is the globe's biggest cocaine-producing country, authorities have found no indication that President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is personally connected to the business.
A Deteriorating Partnership
This nation has long been a close partner of the United States in the fight against narcotics trade and received bipartisan support from American politicians, yet ties have soured markedly after Trump came to office.
The nation's illicit drug economy is largely controlled by illegal armed groups like the Clan del Golfo, another leftist insurgency and renegade units of the demobilized Farc, a large contingent of whom demobilised after a historic peace agreement.
The President's Firm Rebuttal
Upon being questioned whether military intervention comparable to Venezuela was being considered against his country, Trump said: "It sounds good to me."
President Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who disarmed decades ago, rejected the accusations. "I am neither an illegitimate leader and certainly not a narco," he affirmed.
"The US president speaks without knowledge. Stop slandering me," he expressed online.
"If they [the US] bomb civilians, they will turn into thousands of guerrillas in the mountains. And should they arrest me, whom a large part of the country holds in high esteem, they will unleash the fierce spirit of the nation," Petro warned.
From Guerrilla to Leader
He passed some years as a young man participating with the radical M-19 guerrilla group though it is believed to have ever took part in armed clashes. After demobilizing, he took part in drafting a new constitution in the early 90s and eventually served as a prominent senator. He was mayor of Bogotá prior to his election the presidency.
"I pledged to never again hold arms again ... but for the homeland I would take up weapons once more," he said.
Heightened Measures along with Broad Rejection
Colombia's defense chief reported that Petro's security detail was strengthened.
Many among Colombia’s right wing opposition have sided with the US president, yet figures spanning Colombian politics have denounced the possibility of a US attack on Colombia.
Bilateral and Economic Sanctions
Washington withdrew Petro’s visa following he encouraged US troops to disobey any illegal orders. In October, authorities imposed asset freezes on Petro, his wife and a number of key allies.
Simultaneously while America bolstered its military presence near Venezuela and bombing suspected drug boats to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces have also conducted strikes on boats in the eastern Pacific region near Colombia.
