President Trump and Colombia's president have escalated the tone of their exchange, increasing tensions in their relations following US forces targeted Venezuela with the aim of deposing President Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He runs narcotics facilities and processing labs and that won't last much longer," Trump added.
Escalating Rhetoric and Accusations
Addressing reporters on Sunday, the US president threatened analogous armed intervention against Colombia, claiming the country is also "very ill" and led by a sick man who likes making the drug and selling it to the United States."
Although Colombia remains the world’s largest source of the narcotic, authorities have found no indication linking President Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is in any way connected to the trade.
A Strained Relationship
This nation has long been a key ally of the US in the fight against drug trafficking and enjoyed cross-party backing in the US capital, however, the relationship have worsened dramatically after Trump came to office.
Colombia’s narcotics trade is predominantly run by illegal armed groups such as one major cartel, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and dissident factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), a large contingent of whom laid down arms subsequent to a historic peace agreement.
Petro's Defiant Response
When asked whether a military operation comparable to Venezuela was on the cards against his country, Trump responded: "It sounds good to me personally."
President Petro, an ex-guerrilla fighter who left armed struggle in the 1990s, categorically refuted the accusations. "I am neither illegitimate and certainly not a narco," he declared.
"The US president speaks uninformed. Cease defaming me," he wrote online.
"If US bombs target rural communities, they will turn into thousands of guerrillas in the hills. And if they detain the president, which a large part of the population loves and respects, they will release the fierce spirit of the people," Petro warned.
From Guerrilla to Statesman
The president dedicated some years as a young man participating of the leftist M-19 insurgent movement although reports indicate to have ever took part in armed clashes. Upon leaving the group, he was involved in drafting a new constitution in 1991 subsequently becoming a respected lawmaker. He held the office of mayor of the capital city before being elected the presidency.
"I pledged to never again hold arms again ... but in defense of my country I would take up the fight," he said.
Heightened Measures and Cross-Political Opposition
The Colombian defence minister announced that Petro's security detail had been reinforced.
Several members of Colombia’s political right have sided with Trump's stance, however, leaders from all sides of the ideological divide have condemned the notion of American military action against their nation.
Bilateral and Economic Pressure
The US withdrew the president's entry visa subsequent to he called on US military personnel to ignore any illegal orders. Months later, authorities imposed financial sanctions on Petro, his wife and several close collaborators.
Concurrently as the US increased its troop levels in the Caribbean and targeting vessels thought to carry drugs against Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets executed strikes on maritime targets off the Pacific coast near Colombia.
