The US President along with President Gustavo Petro have turned up the tone of their war of words, further raising tensions in their relations following US forces struck Venezuela to remove the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He operates narcotics facilities and cocaine factories and his time is running out," Trump remarked.
Rising Rhetoric and Allegations
Talking to reporters on Sunday, the US president suggested similar military action against Colombia, asserting the nation faces serious problems and “run by a sick man involved in producing the drug and trafficking it to the United States."
Although Colombia is the world’s largest cocaine-producing country, authorities have found no indication implicating Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is directly tied to the business.
A Frayed Relationship
This nation has long been a close partner of the US in the struggle against drug trafficking and enjoyed wide political approval from American politicians, however, the relationship have deteriorated markedly since Trump assumed the presidency.
Its drug trade is mainly overseen by criminal organizations including one major cartel, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and renegade units of the former Farc guerrillas, most of its former fighters laid down arms subsequent to a historic peace agreement.
Colombia's Strong Answer
When asked if armed intervention similar to Venezuela was a possibility regarding Colombia, Trump said: "I like the sound of that to me personally."
Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who left armed struggle in the 1990s, firmly denied Trump's claims. "I am not illegitimate and I am not involved in narcotics," he declared.
"Trump speaks uninformed. Cease defaming me," he posted online.
"If US bombs target peasants, they will turn into thousands of guerrillas in the mountains. If they capture the nation's leader, which a large part of the country admires and supports, they will release the powerful force of the populace," he admonished.
From Guerrilla to Leader
Petro spent some years as a young man as a member with the radical M-19 insurgent movement but is not believed he did not participated in combat. Following his disarmament, he took part in drafting the nation's constitution in the early 90s and eventually served as an influential politician. He served as mayor of Bogotá before being elected president.
"I made a vow to abstain from using arms again ... but for Colombia I shall resume weapons once more," he affirmed.
Increased Security and Widespread Opposition
The Colombian defence minister stated that the president’s security detail was strengthened.
A segment of Colombia’s conservative opposition have allied themselves with Trump's stance, yet figures spanning Colombian politics have denounced the possibility of an invasion against their nation.
Bilateral and Economic Strains
The US withdrew Petro’s visa after he urged US troops to ignore orders that violate law. Months later, the US enacted economic restrictions on Petro, his spouse and various close collaborators.
At the same time as the US increased its troop levels in the Caribbean and bombing vessels thought to carry drugs to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets also carried out strikes against vessels in Pacific waters near Colombia.
