President Trump along with Colombia's president have intensified the volume of their war of words, heightening strains between the two countries following US forces attacked Venezuela with the aim of deposing Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He runs narcotics facilities and production sites and that won't last much longer," Trump remarked.
Rising Rhetoric and Allegations
Addressing journalists on Sunday, the American leader hinted at similar military action towards the South American nation, claiming Colombia is also "very ill" and governed by a sick man who likes making narcotics and selling it to America."
While Colombia is the world’s largest source of the narcotic, no proof exists implicating Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is directly tied to the trade.
A Deteriorating Alliance
The country has long been a close partner of the US in the struggle against drug trafficking and enjoyed bipartisan support in Washington, yet ties have soured markedly after Trump was elected.
Colombia’s narcotics trade is largely controlled by illegal armed groups such as the Clan del Golfo, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and dissident factions of the demobilized Farc, most of its former fighters disbanded after a 2016 peace deal.
Petro's Strong Rebuttal
Upon being questioned whether armed intervention similar to Venezuela was being considered against his country, Trump responded: "I like the sound of that from my perspective."
The Colombian leader, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who demobilised decades ago, rejected the accusations. "I am neither an illegitimate leader and I am not a narco," he declared.
"He comments without knowledge. Stop slandering me," he expressed in a message.
"Should American forces attack rural communities, they will transform into thousands of guerrillas across the countryside. And if they detain me, which many of Colombians loves and respects, they will provoke the ‘jaguar’ of the people," he admonished.
From Guerrilla to President
The president dedicated some years as a young man participating with the radical M-19 insurgent movement although reports indicate that he never participated in combat. After demobilizing, he took part in writing the constitutional rewrite over three decades ago and eventually served as a respected lawmaker. He was mayor of Bogotá prior to his election the nation's highest office.
"I swore to abstain from using a gun ... but in defense of my country I would take up arms again," he affirmed.
Heightened Measures along with Cross-Political Condemnation
The Colombian defence minister announced that Petro's personal security had received additional support.
A segment of Colombia’s political right have sided with Trump, but voices from across the political spectrum have condemned the notion of American military action targeting Colombia.
Political and Financial Sanctions
Washington revoked his travel authorization after he urged American soldiers to disobey unlawful commands. Later, in October, it placed economic restrictions against the president, his wife and various close collaborators.
Concurrently the US was building up its forces in the Caribbean and bombing vessels thought to carry drugs to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets also carried out attacks against vessels in the eastern Pacific region adjacent to Colombia.