Donald Trump and President Gustavo Petro have intensified the rhetoric in their verbal conflict, increasing tensions between the two countries after US forces targeted Venezuela with the aim of deposing Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He operates drug factories and production sites and his time is running out," Trump remarked.
Growing Threats and Claims
Talking to the press over the weekend, Trump hinted at comparable armed intervention against Bogotá, claiming the country is “very sick too” and “run by an unwell individual involved in producing the drug and selling it to America."
While Colombia stands as the leading producer of cocaine, there is no evidence implicating Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is personally involved in the illicit industry.
A Frayed Partnership
The country was historically a close partner of Washington in the campaign combating drug cartels and enjoyed cross-party backing in the US capital, but relations have deteriorated dramatically following Trump assumed the presidency.
The nation's illicit drug economy is largely controlled by criminal organizations such as one major cartel, another leftist insurgency and renegade units of the demobilized Farc, a large contingent of whom laid down arms after a 2016 peace deal.
Petro's Defiant Rebuttal
When asked if a military operation comparable to Venezuela was on the cards against his country, Trump said: "That seems like a good idea to me personally."
The Colombian leader, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who left armed struggle decades ago, categorically refuted these allegations. "I am neither illegitimate and I am not a drug trafficker," he stated.
"The US president speaks uninformed. Cease defaming me," he wrote in a message.
"If they [the US] bomb rural communities, they will turn into a multitude of fighters in the mountains. And should they arrest me, which a significant portion of the population admires and supports, they will provoke the fierce spirit of the nation," he admonished.
From Fighter to Leader
Petro spent some years as a young man belonging with the radical M-19 insurgent movement but is not believed to have ever engaged in fighting. After demobilizing, he took part in drafting the constitutional rewrite in 1991 and later became a respected lawmaker. He served as mayor of Bogotá before winning the nation's highest office.
"I swore not to touch a weapon again ... but in defense of my country I shall resume arms again," he vowed.
Reinforced Protection along with Cross-Political Rejection
The Colombian defence minister reported that the president’s personal security was strengthened.
Several members of Colombia’s right wing opposition have sided with Trump's stance, but voices from across the political spectrum have rejected the possibility of a US attack on Colombia.
Political and Economic Sanctions
American authorities revoked the president's entry visa after he urged US military personnel to refuse unlawful commands. Later, in October, it placed asset freezes targeting Petro, the first lady and several associates.
At the same time as the US increased its forces near Venezuela and targeting alleged narcotics traffickers to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, the US also carried out strikes on boats off the Pacific coast off the Colombian coast.
