President Trump and Colombia's president have turned up the tone of their exchange, heightening tensions between the two countries after American military units targeted Venezuela in an operation to oust Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories and that won't last much longer," the US president stated.
Rising Rhetoric coupled with Accusations
Speaking to journalists over the weekend, the American leader suggested analogous use of force against Colombia, claiming the country is “very sick too” and led by a sick man who enjoys creating cocaine and trafficking it to America."
While Colombia remains the world’s largest cocaine-producing country, authorities have found no indication implicating Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is directly involved in the business.
A Strained Partnership
The country was historically a key ally of Washington in the campaign against narcotics trade and received wide political approval in the US capital, however, the relationship have soured significantly since Trump was elected.
Its drug trade is predominantly run by guerrilla factions including one major cartel, another leftist insurgency and renegade units of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), most of its former fighters demobilised following a historic peace agreement.
The President's Defiant Rebuttal
Upon being questioned if armed intervention similar to Venezuela was being considered against his country, Trump responded: "It sounds good to me personally."
The Colombian leader, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who disarmed in the 1990s, rejected these allegations. "I am not an illegitimate leader nor am I a drug trafficker," he stated.
"Trump speaks without knowledge. Cease defaming me," he wrote in a message.
"If they [the US] bomb rural communities, they will turn into thousands of guerrillas across the countryside. If they capture me, whom a significant portion of the population admires and supports, they will unleash the ‘jaguar’ of the populace," the president cautioned.
From Guerrilla to Leader
He passed part of his youth as a member in the left-wing M-19 insurgent movement but is not believed to have ever engaged in fighting. Upon leaving the group, he participated in drafting the nation's constitution in 1991 and eventually served as an influential politician. He held the office of mayor of the capital city before being elected the nation's highest office.
"I pledged to never again hold a gun ... but for the homeland I would take up weapons once more," he affirmed.
Increased Security along with Broad Rejection
The Colombian defence minister reported that the national leader's personal security had been reinforced.
Many among Colombia’s political right have sided with Trump, yet figures spanning the ideological divide have condemned the threats of American military action against their nation.
Diplomatic and Economic Pressure
American authorities cancelled the president's entry visa after he called on US troops to disobey orders that violate law. Later, in October, the US enacted asset freezes against the president, his spouse and a number of close collaborators.
At the same time while America bolstered its troop levels near Venezuela and targeting alleged narcotics traffickers against Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets also carried out operations on maritime targets in Pacific waters near Colombia.
