Donald Trump along with his Colombian counterpart have turned up the volume in their verbal conflict, further raising strains in their relations after US forces targeted Venezuela with the aim of deposing Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He has cocaine mills and production sites and his time is running out," Trump remarked.
Growing Tensions coupled with Accusations
Talking to the press over the weekend, the American leader suggested similar armed intervention against Colombia, stating the country is “very sick too” and “run by a problematic figure who likes making narcotics and trafficking it to America."
Although Colombia stands as the world’s largest source of the narcotic, there is no evidence that President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is in any way tied to the trade.
A Frayed Partnership
Colombia has long been a staunch collaborator of Washington in the struggle combating drug cartels and benefited from bipartisan support in the US capital, however, the relationship have worsened markedly since Trump assumed the presidency.
Colombia’s narcotics trade is predominantly run by criminal organizations including the Golf Clan, another leftist insurgency and breakaway groups of the former Farc guerrillas, most of its former fighters demobilised after a 2016 peace deal.
Colombia's Defiant Response
When asked whether a military operation similar to Venezuela was being considered for Colombia, Trump said: "I like the sound of that to me personally."
The Colombian leader, a former leftist guerrilla who left armed struggle in the 1990s, firmly denied Trump's claims. "I am not an illegitimate leader and I am not a narco," he declared.
"Trump speaks without information. End the false accusations," he expressed in a message.
"If they [the US] bomb peasants, they will turn into thousands of guerrillas in the hills. And if they detain the president, whom many of Colombians holds in high esteem, they will release the ‘jaguar’ of the people," the president cautioned.
From Insurgent to Statesman
He passed part of his youth participating with the radical M-19 guerrilla group though it is believed to have ever participated in combat. After demobilizing, he was involved in creating the constitutional rewrite in the early 90s and eventually served as a prominent senator. He was mayor of the Colombian capital prior to his election the nation's highest office.
"I made a vow to abstain from using a weapon again ... but in defense of my country I would take up arms again," he vowed.
Reinforced Protection along with Broad Rejection
The Colombian defence minister announced that the president’s personal security was strengthened.
Many among Colombia’s right wing opposition have expressed support with Trump, but voices spanning the ideological divide have denounced the threats of American military action against their nation.
Diplomatic and Economic Sanctions
American authorities cancelled the president's entry visa subsequent to he called on US military personnel to refuse any illegal orders. Months later, authorities imposed financial sanctions against the president, his wife and a number of associates.
Concurrently the US was building up its military presence near Venezuela and bombing alleged narcotics traffickers to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets also carried out attacks against vessels in Pacific waters near Colombia.
