President Trump along with his Colombian counterpart have turned up the tone of their exchange, further raising tensions between the two countries following US forces struck Venezuela in an operation to oust the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He has narcotics facilities and production sites and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.
Growing Tensions coupled with Accusations
Talking to the press on Sunday, the US president hinted at similar armed intervention against Bogotá, stating the country is also "very ill" and led by an unwell individual who likes making cocaine and distributing it to the United States."
While Colombia stands as the world’s largest cocaine-producing country, there is no evidence that President Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is in any way tied to the illicit industry.
A Strained Alliance
The country has long been a staunch collaborator of the US in the campaign combating drug cartels and received wide political approval in the US capital, but relations have deteriorated dramatically following Trump came to office.
Its illicit drug economy is mainly overseen by guerrilla factions such as the Clan del Golfo, another leftist insurgency and renegade units of the former Farc guerrillas, the majority of whose members laid down arms subsequent to a historic peace agreement.
Colombia's Defiant Answer
Upon being questioned if armed intervention like that in Venezuela was on the cards against his country, Trump said: "That seems like a good idea to me."
Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who left armed struggle decades ago, categorically refuted the accusations. "I am not an illegitimate leader and I am not a narco," he declared.
"Trump speaks without knowledge. Stop slandering me," he wrote in a post.
"If they [the US] bomb rural communities, they will turn into thousands of guerrillas in the mountains. And if they detain me, which a significant portion of Colombians holds in high esteem, they will unleash the powerful force of the nation," Petro warned.
From Insurgent to Statesman
Petro spent some years as a young man participating of the leftist M-19 insurgent movement but is not believed to have ever engaged in fighting. Following his disarmament, he was involved in drafting the nation's constitution in 1991 and later became a prominent senator. He was mayor of the Colombian capital before being elected the nation's highest office.
"I pledged not to touch arms again ... but for Colombia I shall resume the fight," he vowed.
Increased Security and Cross-Political Condemnation
The Colombian defence minister announced that the president’s security detail had been reinforced.
A segment of Colombia’s conservative opposition have sided with Trump, yet figures spanning Colombian politics have condemned the threats of an invasion targeting Colombia.
Diplomatic and Financial Sanctions
American authorities revoked Petro’s visa following he called on US troops to refuse orders that violate law. In October, the US enacted economic restrictions against the president, his wife and various close collaborators.
At the same time the US was building up its military presence in the Caribbean and striking alleged narcotics traffickers to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets also carried out strikes on maritime targets in Pacific waters near Colombia.
