President Trump and Colombia's president have intensified the volume of their exchange, heightening strains bilaterally following US forces targeted Venezuela to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He runs narcotics facilities and cocaine factories and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump remarked.
Escalating Rhetoric and Claims
Addressing reporters over the weekend, the US president threatened analogous armed intervention against Bogotá, claiming the country faces serious problems and “run by a sick man involved in producing the drug and selling it to the United States."
While Colombia remains the globe's biggest producer of cocaine, there is no evidence that President Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is directly connected to the business.
A Deteriorating Alliance
Colombia for decades served as a close partner of the United States in the campaign combating drug cartels and received wide political approval from American politicians, yet ties have worsened significantly after Trump assumed the presidency.
Colombia’s drug trade is predominantly run by criminal organizations like the Golf Clan, the ELN guerrilla group and breakaway groups of the demobilized Farc, the majority of whose members demobilised following a 2016 peace deal.
Colombia's Strong Rebuttal
In response to a query whether armed intervention like that in Venezuela was on the cards against his country, Trump responded: "It sounds good from my perspective."
The Colombian leader, a former leftist guerrilla who left armed struggle in the last century, rejected these allegations. "I am neither illegitimate nor am I involved in narcotics," he stated.
"Trump speaks without knowledge. End the false accusations," he posted online.
"If US bombs target peasants, they will transform into thousands of guerrillas in the mountains. And should they arrest the president, whom many of the country admires and supports, they will unleash the powerful force of the populace," he admonished.
From Fighter to Statesman
The president dedicated some years as a young man belonging in the left-wing M-19 insurgent movement although reports indicate that he never participated in combat. After demobilizing, he took part in drafting the nation's constitution in the early 90s subsequently becoming an influential politician. He was mayor of the Colombian capital before being elected the nation's highest office.
"I made a vow to abstain from using arms again ... but for the homeland I shall resume the fight," he affirmed.
Increased Security along with Broad Opposition
Minister Pedro Sánchez reported that Petro's protection team had been reinforced.
Many among Colombia’s conservative opposition have expressed support with Trump, but voices from all sides of the ideological divide have rejected the threats of an invasion on Colombia.
Diplomatic and Financial Strains
Washington revoked Petro’s visa following he called on US troops to disobey any illegal orders. Months later, it placed financial sanctions against the president, his spouse and several close collaborators.
Concurrently the US was building up its troop levels in the Caribbean and bombing suspected drug boats against Venezuela’s Maduro, the US executed attacks on boats in Pacific waters near Colombia.
