President Trump and his Colombian counterpart have intensified the rhetoric in their verbal conflict, further raising tensions bilaterally following US forces struck Venezuela to remove President Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He operates narcotics facilities and processing labs and is not going to be doing it very long," the US president stated.
Rising Tensions and Allegations
Addressing journalists on Sunday, the US president hinted at analogous armed intervention towards the South American nation, claiming the country faces serious problems and “run by an unwell individual involved in producing the drug and distributing it to the United States."
Although Colombia stands as the globe's biggest source of the narcotic, no proof exists that President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is personally tied to the illicit industry.
A Frayed Partnership
Colombia was historically a staunch collaborator of Washington in the campaign against drug trafficking and benefited from bipartisan support in Washington, yet ties have worsened dramatically after Trump came to office.
Colombia’s illicit drug economy is largely controlled by guerrilla factions such as the Golf Clan, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and breakaway groups of the demobilized Farc, a large contingent of whom disbanded subsequent to a landmark accord.
The President's Strong Rebuttal
Upon being questioned if armed intervention comparable to Venezuela was being considered against his country, Trump replied: "It sounds good to me."
The Colombian leader, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who left armed struggle decades ago, categorically refuted these allegations. "I am no illegitimate and certainly not a drug trafficker," he affirmed.
"The US president speaks uninformed. End the false accusations," he expressed in a post.
"If they [the US] bomb civilians, they will become thousands of guerrillas in the mountains. If they capture the president, which a large part of the population admires and supports, they will provoke the fierce spirit of the nation," he admonished.
From Fighter to Leader
He passed part of his youth as a member with the radical M-19 insurgent movement but is not believed he did not took part in armed clashes. Following his disarmament, he was involved in creating a new constitution in 1991 subsequently becoming a prominent senator. He was mayor of the Colombian capital prior to his election president.
"I swore to abstain from using arms again ... but for the homeland I will take up weapons once more," he vowed.
Heightened Measures and Cross-Political Condemnation
Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that Petro's protection team was strengthened.
Many among Colombia’s conservative opposition have sided with the US president, yet figures spanning the political spectrum have condemned the threats of an invasion against their nation.
Bilateral and Economic Sanctions
American authorities cancelled the president's entry visa following he urged US troops to refuse any illegal orders. In October, it placed economic restrictions against the president, the first lady and a number of close collaborators.
Simultaneously as the US increased its troop levels in the Caribbean and targeting alleged narcotics traffickers against Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces also carried out attacks against vessels in Pacific waters off the Colombian coast.
