Donald Trump along with his Colombian counterpart have escalated the rhetoric of their war of words, further raising strains between the two countries after US forces struck Venezuela to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He has cocaine mills and processing labs and that won't last much longer," Trump added.
Rising Threats and Allegations
Addressing the press on Sunday, the American leader hinted at similar use of force towards the South American nation, asserting the country is “very sick too” and “run by a problematic figure who enjoys creating cocaine and distributing it to the US."
Although Colombia stands as 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 business.
A Frayed Relationship
This nation was historically a staunch collaborator of the United States in the struggle combating drug cartels and benefited from wide political approval from American politicians, yet ties have soured markedly after Trump was elected.
Its narcotics trade is predominantly run by guerrilla factions like the Golf Clan, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and renegade units of the former Farc guerrillas, the majority of whose members demobilised after a landmark accord.
Colombia's Defiant Response
When asked if a military operation like that in Venezuela was on the cards against his country, Trump responded: "It sounds good from my perspective."
President Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who disarmed in the 1990s, rejected the accusations. "I am neither illegitimate and certainly not involved in narcotics," he stated.
"He comments uninformed. Stop slandering me," he wrote online.
"Should American forces attack civilians, they will transform into numerous insurgents in the hills. And if they detain the president, whom a significant portion of the country admires and supports, they will provoke the powerful force of the populace," Petro warned.
From Fighter to Leader
He passed part of his youth participating in the left-wing M-19 armed organization but is not believed to have ever participated in combat. After demobilizing, he was involved in writing the constitutional rewrite in 1991 subsequently becoming a prominent senator. He held the office of mayor of the capital city prior to his election president.
"I pledged to abstain from using arms again ... but for the homeland I shall resume the fight," he vowed.
Reinforced Protection and Broad Rejection
Minister Pedro Sánchez stated that the national leader's personal security had received additional support.
Several members of Colombia’s right wing opposition have sided with Trump's stance, yet figures spanning the ideological divide have condemned the notion of American military action against their nation.
Bilateral and Economic Pressure
Washington revoked the president's entry visa following he called on US military personnel to disobey any illegal orders. Later, in October, the US enacted economic restrictions on Petro, his wife and various key allies.
Simultaneously while America bolstered its troop levels near Venezuela and targeting suspected drug boats against Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets have also conducted operations against vessels in the eastern Pacific region off the Colombian coast.
