The US President and Colombia's president have turned up the rhetoric of their exchange, increasing tensions between the two countries after American military units attacked Venezuela to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He operates drug factories and production sites and his time is running out," the US president stated.
Rising Threats coupled with Claims
Addressing the press on Sunday, the US president suggested similar use of force towards the South American nation, claiming the nation faces serious problems and governed by a sick man who likes making narcotics and selling it to the United States."
Although Colombia remains the globe's biggest producer of cocaine, authorities have found no indication that President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is directly connected to the trade.
A Deteriorating Partnership
Colombia for decades served as a key ally of the US in the campaign against drug trafficking and received wide political approval in the US capital, but relations have soured significantly since Trump assumed the presidency.
The nation's drug trade is largely controlled by criminal organizations like the Clan del Golfo, another leftist insurgency and dissident factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), the majority of whose members demobilised following a landmark accord.
Colombia's Defiant Answer
When asked if military intervention comparable to Venezuela was on the cards regarding Colombia, Trump said: "I like the sound of that to me personally."
The Colombian leader, a former leftist guerrilla who demobilised in the last century, firmly denied Trump's claims. "I am no an illegitimate leader and I am not a narco," he stated.
"The US president speaks uninformed. Stop slandering me," he wrote in a post.
"If they [the US] bomb civilians, they will turn into numerous insurgents in the hills. If they capture the nation's leader, whom a large part of Colombians admires and supports, they will release the ‘jaguar’ of the populace," he admonished.
From Insurgent to Leader
Petro spent a period in his early life participating in the left-wing M-19 insurgent movement but is not believed that he never took part in armed clashes. Upon leaving the group, he participated in writing the nation's constitution in 1991 and later became a respected lawmaker. He was mayor of the Colombian capital before winning the presidency.
"I pledged to abstain from using a gun ... but for the homeland I will take up the fight," he vowed.
Increased Security and Widespread Condemnation
Colombia's defense chief stated that the national leader's protection team was strengthened.
A segment of Colombia’s right wing opposition have allied themselves with the US president, yet figures from across the ideological divide have rejected the notion of a US attack targeting Colombia.
Bilateral and Financial Pressure
The US withdrew the president's entry visa after he urged US military personnel to disobey unlawful commands. Months later, the US enacted economic restrictions against the president, his spouse and several key allies.
Concurrently the US was building up its military presence in the region and targeting alleged narcotics traffickers against Venezuela’s Maduro, the US also carried out attacks against vessels off the Pacific coast adjacent to Colombia.
