President Trump along with his Colombian counterpart have turned up the tone of their war of words, further raising strains between the two countries following American military units targeted Venezuela with the aim of deposing President Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories and his time is running out," the US president stated.
Rising Rhetoric coupled with Accusations
Addressing the press on Sunday, the American leader suggested analogous armed intervention against Bogotá, asserting the nation faces serious problems and “run by a problematic figure who enjoys creating the drug and trafficking it to the United States."
While Colombia remains the world’s largest producer of cocaine, authorities have found no indication implicating Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is directly tied to the trade.
A Deteriorating Relationship
This nation has long been a staunch collaborator of the US in the campaign against drug trafficking and enjoyed cross-party backing in the US capital, however, the relationship have worsened markedly following Trump came to office.
Colombia’s drug trade is mainly overseen by guerrilla factions like the Clan del Golfo, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and dissident factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), the majority of whose members demobilised following a 2016 peace deal.
The President's Strong Response
When asked if armed intervention similar to Venezuela was being considered for Colombia, Trump responded: "It sounds good to me personally."
The Colombian leader, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who demobilised in the last century, firmly denied the accusations. "I am neither an illegitimate leader and I am not a narco," he stated.
"The US president speaks uninformed. Cease defaming me," he posted in a message.
"If US bombs target civilians, they will transform into a multitude of fighters in the mountains. And should they arrest the president, whom many of the country holds in high esteem, they will release the fierce spirit of the populace," the president cautioned.
From Insurgent to Statesman
He passed a period in his early life belonging of the leftist M-19 insurgent movement though it is believed to have ever participated in combat. After demobilizing, he took part in creating the constitutional rewrite over three decades ago and later became an influential politician. He was mayor of Bogotá before winning president.
"I made a vow not to touch arms again ... but for Colombia I shall resume weapons once more," he vowed.
Heightened Measures along with Cross-Political Rejection
Colombia's defense chief reported that the national leader's protection team had been reinforced.
Several members of Colombia’s right wing opposition have allied themselves with the US president, however, leaders spanning Colombian politics have denounced the possibility of a US attack on Colombia.
Diplomatic and Financial Strains
American authorities withdrew the president's entry visa following he called on US troops to refuse orders that violate law. Months later, it placed asset freezes against the president, the first lady and various key allies.
Concurrently the US was building up its troop levels in the Caribbean and striking vessels thought to carry drugs to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces also carried out attacks on boats off the Pacific coast off the Colombian coast.
