The US President along with Colombia's president have escalated the rhetoric in their verbal conflict, further raising strains between the two countries after American military units attacked Venezuela in an operation to oust President Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He has narcotics facilities and production sites and that won't last much longer," the US president stated.
Growing Threats coupled with Allegations
Talking to reporters on Sunday, the American leader suggested comparable military action against Bogotá, asserting Colombia is also "very ill" and “run by an unwell individual who likes making narcotics and distributing it to the US."
While Colombia is the globe's biggest cocaine-producing country, there is no evidence implicating Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is in any way tied to the trade.
A Strained Partnership
This nation for decades served as a close partner of the US in the campaign against drug trafficking and benefited from wide political approval in Washington, but relations have worsened dramatically following Trump came to office.
Its narcotics trade is mainly overseen by illegal armed groups like the Clan del Golfo, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and renegade units of the demobilized Farc, a large contingent of whom demobilised subsequent to a 2016 peace deal.
Petro's Strong Answer
Upon being questioned if armed intervention similar to Venezuela was on the cards for Colombia, Trump said: "It sounds good from my perspective."
Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who demobilised in the 1990s, categorically refuted the accusations. "I am not an illegitimate leader and I am not a narco," he declared.
"The US president speaks without information. Stop slandering me," he expressed in a message.
"If US bombs target rural communities, they will become a multitude of fighters across the countryside. If they capture the nation's leader, whom a large part of the population holds in high esteem, they will release the powerful force of the people," he admonished.
From Guerrilla to President
Petro spent part of his youth as a member of the leftist M-19 guerrilla group although reports indicate to have ever engaged in fighting. Following his disarmament, he participated in creating the nation's constitution in the early 90s subsequently becoming an influential politician. He held the office of mayor of the Colombian capital prior to his election the nation's highest office.
"I swore to abstain from using a weapon again ... but in defense of my country I would take up arms again," he vowed.
Heightened Measures along with Broad Rejection
The Colombian defence minister reported that the president’s protection team had been reinforced.
Many among Colombia’s conservative opposition have allied themselves with Trump's stance, but voices spanning the ideological divide have condemned the notion of American military action on Colombia.
Political and Financial Strains
The US withdrew the president's entry visa after he urged US troops to disobey orders that violate law. Months later, it placed economic restrictions targeting Petro, the first lady and various key allies.
Concurrently while America bolstered its military presence in the Caribbean and bombing vessels thought to carry drugs to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces executed strikes against vessels in the eastern Pacific region near Colombia.
