The US President along with his Colombian counterpart have turned up the volume of their exchange, heightening strains in their relations following US forces struck Venezuela in an operation to oust the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He runs narcotics facilities and processing labs and that won't last much longer," Trump remarked.
Escalating Threats and Claims
Talking to journalists on Sunday, the American leader hinted at analogous armed intervention against Colombia, stating Colombia is also "very ill" and governed by a sick man who enjoys creating narcotics and selling it to the United States."
While Colombia stands as the globe's biggest source of the narcotic, there is no evidence linking President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is directly involved in the illicit industry.
A Strained Relationship
This nation was historically a key ally of the US in the fight combating drug cartels and enjoyed wide political approval in Washington, but relations have worsened markedly following Trump came to office.
Colombia’s narcotics trade is largely controlled by illegal armed groups such as one major cartel, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and renegade units of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), a large contingent of whom demobilised after a historic peace agreement.
The President's Defiant Response
When asked if military intervention comparable to Venezuela was on the cards for Colombia, Trump said: "I like the sound of that to me."
The Colombian leader, an ex-guerrilla fighter who disarmed in the 1990s, rejected these allegations. "I am no an illegitimate leader nor am I involved in narcotics," he affirmed.
"The US president speaks without information. Stop slandering me," he wrote online.
"If they [the US] bomb rural communities, they will become a multitude of fighters in the hills. And should they arrest me, whom a large part of the country admires and supports, they will unleash the powerful force of the populace," the president cautioned.
From Insurgent to Statesman
Petro spent some years as a young man as a member in the left-wing M-19 insurgent movement though it is believed to have ever participated in combat. Following his disarmament, he took part in drafting the nation's constitution in 1991 subsequently becoming an influential politician. He was mayor of the Colombian capital before winning the nation's highest office.
"I pledged to abstain from using a weapon again ... but in defense of my country I would take up arms again," he vowed.
Heightened Measures and Broad Condemnation
Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that Petro's personal security had been reinforced.
Several members of Colombia’s conservative opposition have expressed support with Trump's stance, but voices from all sides of the political spectrum have rejected the notion of an invasion against their nation.
Bilateral and Economic Sanctions
The US cancelled his travel authorization subsequent to he called on US military personnel to disobey any illegal orders. Months later, authorities imposed financial sanctions against the president, his spouse and various associates.
At the same time as the US increased its forces near Venezuela and bombing suspected drug boats to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces also carried out attacks on boats in the eastern Pacific region off the Colombian coast.
