President Trump and President Gustavo Petro have escalated the volume of their exchange, increasing tensions between the two countries after US forces targeted Venezuela in an operation to oust Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He operates narcotics facilities and cocaine factories and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.
Rising Threats and Claims
Speaking to reporters over the weekend, the American leader suggested similar armed intervention against Colombia, stating the nation is also "very ill" and led by a sick man who enjoys creating the drug and trafficking it to the US."
While Colombia remains the leading producer of cocaine, there is no evidence implicating Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is directly connected to the trade.
A Strained Relationship
Colombia for decades served as a key ally of the United States in the fight against drug trafficking and benefited from bipartisan support in the US capital, however, the relationship have deteriorated markedly since Trump was elected.
Its narcotics trade is largely controlled by illegal armed groups like one major cartel, the ELN guerrilla group and dissident factions of the demobilized Farc, the majority of whose members demobilised after a 2016 peace deal.
Petro's Strong Rebuttal
Upon being questioned whether military intervention like that in Venezuela was on the cards for Colombia, Trump responded: "It sounds good from my perspective."
Petro, an ex-guerrilla fighter who left armed struggle decades ago, rejected Trump's claims. "I am neither an illegitimate leader and certainly not a drug trafficker," he stated.
"The US president speaks without knowledge. Stop slandering me," he posted in a post.
"If they [the US] bomb rural communities, they will become a multitude of fighters in the mountains. And should they arrest the nation's leader, which many of the population holds in high esteem, they will release the ‘jaguar’ of the nation," he admonished.
From Fighter to Statesman
The president dedicated a period in his early life as a member with the radical M-19 insurgent movement but is not believed that he never engaged in fighting. Upon leaving the group, he was involved in writing the nation's constitution in 1991 subsequently becoming a respected lawmaker. He held the office of mayor of the capital city before being elected the presidency.
"I pledged to abstain from using a weapon again ... but for the homeland I will take up arms again," he vowed.
Increased Security and Widespread Rejection
The Colombian defence minister reported that Petro's personal security had received additional support.
Several members of Colombia’s conservative opposition have expressed support with the US president, yet figures spanning the political spectrum have condemned the possibility of a US attack targeting Colombia.
Bilateral and Economic Strains
American authorities withdrew Petro’s visa subsequent to he encouraged American soldiers to refuse orders that violate law. Later, in October, it placed financial sanctions targeting Petro, the first lady and various associates.
Concurrently as the US increased its troop levels in the Caribbean and bombing alleged narcotics traffickers against Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces also carried out operations on maritime targets in Pacific waters off the Colombian coast.
