Donald Trump and his Colombian counterpart have escalated the volume of their exchange, further raising tensions bilaterally after US forces targeted Venezuela to remove President Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He operates drug factories and production sites and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.
Growing Threats and Claims
Speaking to the press on Sunday, Trump suggested analogous armed intervention against Bogotá, asserting the country faces serious problems and led by a problematic figure who likes making the drug and distributing it to the US."
Although Colombia stands as the globe's biggest producer of cocaine, authorities have found no indication linking President Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is directly involved in the illicit industry.
A Frayed Alliance
This nation has long been a key ally of the United States in the struggle combating drug cartels and benefited from bipartisan support in Washington, however, the relationship have deteriorated markedly since Trump assumed the presidency.
Colombia’s drug trade is largely controlled by illegal armed groups including the Clan del Golfo, another leftist insurgency and renegade units of the former Farc guerrillas, most of its former fighters demobilised following a 2016 peace deal.
Colombia's Strong Response
In response to a query if a military operation similar to Venezuela was a possibility for Colombia, Trump said: "It sounds good to me."
President Petro, an ex-guerrilla fighter who disarmed decades ago, rejected these allegations. "I am not illegitimate and I am not a narco," he affirmed.
"Trump speaks uninformed. Cease defaming me," he posted in a post.
"Should American forces attack peasants, they will turn into numerous insurgents in the hills. And if they detain the nation's leader, whom a large part of the population admires and supports, they will provoke the ‘jaguar’ of the nation," he admonished.
From Fighter to President
Petro spent part of his youth as a member with the radical M-19 guerrilla group though it is believed that he never engaged in fighting. Upon leaving the group, he participated in writing a new constitution in the early 90s and eventually served as a respected lawmaker. He served as mayor of the Colombian capital before being elected the nation's highest office.
"I pledged to never again hold a gun ... but for the homeland I would take up the fight," he affirmed.
Increased Security along with Broad Rejection
The Colombian defence minister announced that Petro's protection team had been reinforced.
Many among Colombia’s political right have sided with Trump, yet figures from across the political spectrum have rejected the possibility of a US attack targeting Colombia.
Diplomatic and Economic Sanctions
American authorities revoked his travel authorization following he called on US military personnel to refuse orders that violate law. Months later, authorities imposed financial sanctions against the president, the first lady and several close collaborators.
Concurrently the US was building up its troop levels near Venezuela and striking alleged narcotics traffickers against Venezuela’s Maduro, the US also carried out attacks on maritime targets in the eastern Pacific region adjacent to Colombia.
