The US President along with Colombia's president have escalated the tone in their verbal conflict, heightening strains bilaterally after US forces targeted Venezuela to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He runs narcotics facilities and cocaine factories and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.
Rising Tensions and Claims
Addressing journalists on Sunday, Trump threatened similar armed intervention towards the South American nation, asserting Colombia faces serious problems and led by a problematic figure who likes making the drug and trafficking it to America."
Although Colombia remains the globe's biggest cocaine-producing country, no proof exists that President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is personally tied to the business.
A Deteriorating Alliance
The country was historically a staunch collaborator of the US in the campaign against drug trafficking and enjoyed bipartisan support from American politicians, yet ties have soured dramatically since Trump was elected.
The nation's narcotics trade is mainly overseen by illegal armed groups such as the Golf Clan, the ELN guerrilla group and renegade units of the former Farc guerrillas, the majority of whose members demobilised following a historic peace agreement.
Colombia's Firm Rebuttal
When asked whether armed intervention similar to Venezuela was being considered against his country, Trump replied: "It sounds good from my perspective."
President Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who demobilised in the 1990s, firmly denied these allegations. "I am no an illegitimate leader nor am I involved in narcotics," he declared.
"The US president speaks uninformed. End the false accusations," he expressed in a post.
"If they [the US] bomb peasants, they will transform into numerous insurgents in the mountains. And if they detain me, which a large part of the population holds in high esteem, they will unleash the powerful force of the people," he admonished.
From Fighter to Statesman
He passed part of his youth belonging of the leftist M-19 guerrilla group although reports indicate to have ever took part in armed clashes. After demobilizing, he participated in writing the constitutional rewrite in 1991 subsequently becoming a prominent senator. He was mayor of the capital city before being elected the presidency.
"I swore not to touch a weapon again ... but for the homeland I will take up arms again," he vowed.
Heightened Measures and Broad Rejection
The Colombian defence minister announced that the president’s personal security had been reinforced.
A segment of Colombia’s political right have sided with Trump's stance, but voices spanning the ideological divide have rejected the threats of a US attack on Colombia.
Bilateral and Economic Sanctions
American authorities withdrew the president's entry visa after he urged US troops to ignore unlawful commands. Later, in October, authorities imposed asset freezes targeting Petro, his wife and a number of close collaborators.
Concurrently as the US increased its forces in the region and bombing suspected drug boats to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces have also conducted strikes against vessels in Pacific waters adjacent to Colombia.
