Donald Trump along with his Colombian counterpart have turned up the rhetoric of their exchange, heightening tensions between the two countries following US forces attacked Venezuela to remove the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He runs drug factories and processing labs and is not going to be doing it very long," the US president stated.
Escalating Rhetoric and Allegations
Addressing reporters over the weekend, Trump suggested comparable armed intervention against Bogotá, asserting the country faces serious problems and “run by a sick man involved in producing narcotics and trafficking it to the US."
While Colombia remains the leading cocaine-producing country, no proof exists implicating Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is directly involved in the illicit industry.
A Deteriorating Relationship
Colombia has long been a key ally of the US in the struggle against narcotics trade and benefited from bipartisan support from American politicians, yet ties have deteriorated significantly since Trump came to office.
The nation's narcotics trade is predominantly run by criminal organizations including one major cartel, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and renegade units of the former Farc guerrillas, the majority of whose members laid down arms after a 2016 peace deal.
Colombia's Firm Response
When asked if armed intervention like that in Venezuela was on the cards against his country, Trump responded: "I like the sound of that to me personally."
The Colombian leader, a former leftist guerrilla who left armed struggle in the last century, categorically refuted these allegations. "I am neither illegitimate and certainly not involved in narcotics," he declared.
"The US president speaks uninformed. End the false accusations," he expressed in a post.
"If they [the US] bomb civilians, they will turn into a multitude of fighters in the mountains. And if they detain the nation's leader, whom a significant portion of Colombians admires and supports, they will unleash the powerful force of the people," he admonished.
From Guerrilla to Statesman
He passed a period in his early life as a member of the leftist M-19 armed organization although reports indicate he did not engaged in fighting. Upon leaving the group, he was involved in creating the constitutional rewrite in 1991 subsequently becoming a prominent senator. He served as mayor of Bogotá before winning the presidency.
"I made a vow to abstain from using a gun ... but for the homeland I would take up arms again," he said.
Increased Security along with Widespread Opposition
Minister Pedro Sánchez reported that the president’s protection team was strengthened.
A segment of Colombia’s conservative opposition have expressed support with the US president, yet figures from across the political spectrum have rejected the threats of a US attack on Colombia.
Political and Financial Sanctions
Washington withdrew Petro’s visa following he called on US military personnel to disobey orders that violate law. Later, in October, the US enacted financial sanctions on Petro, his spouse and various key allies.
Concurrently while America bolstered its forces in the Caribbean and targeting vessels thought to carry drugs to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, the US have also conducted strikes on maritime targets off the Pacific coast near Colombia.
