President Trump and his Colombian counterpart have turned up the tone in their verbal conflict, further raising strains in their relations after American military units targeted Venezuela in an operation to oust the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He has drug factories and processing labs and his time is running out," Trump remarked.
Growing Threats and Allegations
Addressing journalists over the weekend, Trump hinted at similar armed intervention towards the South American nation, claiming the country is also "very ill" and governed by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the US."
While Colombia stands as the globe's biggest cocaine-producing country, there is no evidence linking President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is directly involved in the trade.
A Strained Alliance
This nation for decades served as a key ally of the US in the campaign against narcotics trade and received wide political approval from American politicians, however, the relationship have soured dramatically after Trump came to office.
Colombia’s narcotics trade is predominantly run by guerrilla factions such as the Golf Clan, another leftist insurgency and breakaway groups of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), a large contingent of whom demobilised after a 2016 peace deal.
The President's Defiant Rebuttal
Upon being questioned whether a military operation like that in Venezuela was being considered against his country, Trump responded: "I like the sound of that from my perspective."
The Colombian leader, an ex-guerrilla fighter who demobilised decades ago, categorically refuted Trump's claims. "I am no an illegitimate leader and certainly not a drug trafficker," he affirmed.
"The US president speaks uninformed. End the false accusations," he wrote in a post.
"Should American forces attack civilians, they will transform into numerous insurgents in the hills. And if they detain the president, which a large part of the population holds in high esteem, they will provoke the ‘jaguar’ of the people," he admonished.
From Fighter to Statesman
He passed part of his youth participating in the left-wing M-19 guerrilla group though it is believed to have ever engaged in fighting. Following his disarmament, he took part in creating the constitutional rewrite in the early 90s and eventually served as a respected lawmaker. He served as mayor of Bogotá before winning the nation's highest office.
"I pledged not to touch arms again ... but for the homeland I will take up the fight," he affirmed.
Reinforced Protection and Broad Opposition
Colombia's defense chief stated that the national leader's protection team was strengthened.
Several members of Colombia’s conservative opposition have sided with Trump, but voices from all sides of the political spectrum have denounced the notion of an invasion on Colombia.
Bilateral and Financial Pressure
Washington withdrew Petro’s visa after he urged US military personnel to ignore unlawful commands. Later, in October, it placed asset freezes targeting Petro, his wife and various key allies.
Concurrently while America bolstered its forces in the Caribbean and striking vessels thought to carry drugs against Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets executed operations against vessels in Pacific waters near Colombia.
