President Trump along with his Colombian counterpart have escalated the tone of their war of words, further raising strains in their relations after US forces struck Venezuela in an operation to oust Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He operates cocaine mills and processing labs and his time is running out," Trump remarked.
Escalating Rhetoric and Claims
Talking to journalists over the weekend, the US president hinted at similar armed intervention against Colombia, stating the nation is “very sick too” and “run by an unwell individual who likes making cocaine and selling it to the US."
While Colombia is the world’s largest source of the narcotic, no proof exists that President Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is directly tied to the business.
A Frayed Partnership
This nation was historically a close partner of Washington in the fight against drug trafficking and enjoyed bipartisan support from American politicians, however, the relationship have soured significantly following Trump assumed the presidency.
Colombia’s narcotics trade is predominantly run by criminal organizations such as the Clan del Golfo, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and renegade units of the demobilized Farc, a large contingent of whom disbanded after a 2016 peace deal.
Colombia's Strong Response
Upon being questioned if a military operation similar to Venezuela was on the cards regarding Colombia, Trump said: "I like the sound of that to me personally."
President Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who demobilised in the 1990s, firmly denied the accusations. "I am no an illegitimate leader and certainly not involved in narcotics," he declared.
"He comments without information. Stop slandering me," he expressed online.
"If they [the US] bomb civilians, they will turn into thousands of guerrillas in the mountains. And should they arrest the nation's leader, whom a large part of the population loves and respects, they will unleash the ‘jaguar’ of the nation," the president cautioned.
From Insurgent to Statesman
The president dedicated a period in his early life belonging of the leftist M-19 armed organization but is not believed to have ever took part in armed clashes. Upon leaving the group, he was involved in drafting the constitutional rewrite in the early 90s and later became a respected lawmaker. He served as mayor of the capital city before being elected president.
"I pledged not to touch a weapon again ... but for the homeland I shall resume arms again," he said.
Heightened Measures along with Cross-Political Opposition
Minister Pedro Sánchez stated that the national leader's security detail had been reinforced.
A segment of Colombia’s conservative opposition have expressed support with the US president, but voices spanning the political spectrum have rejected the notion of a US attack targeting Colombia.
Bilateral and Economic Strains
Washington revoked Petro’s visa after he urged US troops to disobey unlawful commands. Later, in October, the US enacted asset freezes on Petro, his spouse and a number of key allies.
Concurrently while America bolstered its forces near Venezuela and striking alleged narcotics traffickers against Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces executed operations on maritime targets in Pacific waters near Colombia.
