Donald Trump and President Gustavo Petro have intensified the tone of their exchange, further raising strains in their relations following US forces attacked Venezuela with the aim of deposing Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He operates drug factories and cocaine factories and that won't last much longer," Trump added.
Rising Tensions coupled with Claims
Speaking to the press over the weekend, the American leader suggested comparable military action against Bogotá, stating the country faces serious problems and led by an unwell individual who enjoys creating cocaine and selling it to America."
While Colombia is the world’s largest source of the narcotic, there is no evidence implicating Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is in any way connected to the trade.
A Frayed Partnership
The country has long been a staunch collaborator of the US in the fight against drug trafficking and received cross-party backing from American politicians, but relations have worsened markedly after Trump came to office.
Its drug trade is predominantly run by guerrilla factions including the Clan del Golfo, the ELN guerrilla group and renegade units of the demobilized Farc, most of its former fighters demobilised subsequent to a 2016 peace deal.
Petro's Strong Rebuttal
In response to a query if military intervention similar to Venezuela was on the cards regarding Colombia, Trump replied: "It sounds good from my perspective."
President Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who left armed struggle in the last century, categorically refuted Trump's claims. "I am no illegitimate and certainly not a narco," he stated.
"The US president speaks without information. Stop slandering me," he wrote online.
"If US bombs target rural communities, they will become a multitude of fighters across the countryside. And should they arrest the nation's leader, whom many of Colombians admires and supports, they will release the powerful force of the nation," the president cautioned.
From Insurgent to Statesman
He passed part of his youth belonging with the radical M-19 guerrilla group although reports indicate he did not participated in combat. Upon leaving the group, he participated in writing the constitutional rewrite in the early 90s subsequently becoming a prominent senator. He held the office of mayor of the Colombian capital prior to his election the presidency.
"I pledged not to touch a weapon again ... but in defense of my country I shall resume arms again," he affirmed.
Heightened Measures and Broad Opposition
Colombia's defense chief announced that the national leader's security detail had received additional support.
Several members of Colombia’s political right have sided with Trump's stance, yet figures from across Colombian politics have condemned the notion of American military action against their nation.
Diplomatic and Economic Pressure
Washington cancelled the president's entry visa subsequent to he called on US military personnel to disobey any illegal orders. In October, the US enacted asset freezes against the president, his wife and a number of close collaborators.
Concurrently the US was building up its forces near Venezuela and targeting suspected drug boats against Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces have also conducted operations against vessels off the Pacific coast adjacent to Colombia.
