Donald Trump and Colombia's president have turned up the tone of their exchange, further raising tensions between the two countries following US forces struck Venezuela to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He has drug factories and production sites and his time is running out," the US president stated.
Escalating Tensions coupled with Allegations
Addressing the press over the weekend, Trump hinted at comparable military action towards the South American nation, stating Colombia is “very sick too” and led by a problematic figure who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States."
While Colombia is the leading cocaine-producing country, authorities have found no indication implicating Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is personally connected to the illicit industry.
A Strained Alliance
The country was historically a close partner of the US in the campaign against drug trafficking and enjoyed wide political approval in the US capital, but relations have soured dramatically after Trump came to office.
Colombia’s narcotics trade is predominantly run by criminal organizations like the Golf Clan, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and renegade units of the demobilized Farc, a large contingent of whom demobilised subsequent to a 2016 peace deal.
The President's Firm Response
When asked whether military intervention comparable to Venezuela was on the cards for Colombia, Trump replied: "It sounds good to me personally."
The Colombian leader, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who demobilised in the 1990s, firmly denied these allegations. "I am no an illegitimate leader and I am not involved in narcotics," he stated.
"Trump speaks without knowledge. End the false accusations," he expressed in a post.
"If they [the US] bomb civilians, they will become numerous insurgents in the hills. And if they detain the president, which a significant portion of Colombians admires and supports, they will unleash the fierce spirit of the people," he admonished.
From Fighter to President
He passed some years as a young man belonging in the left-wing M-19 guerrilla group but is not believed to have ever participated in combat. After demobilizing, he participated in writing the nation's constitution in 1991 subsequently becoming a prominent senator. He served as mayor of the capital city before winning the presidency.
"I pledged not to touch a gun ... but for the homeland I would take up arms again," he vowed.
Increased Security and Broad Condemnation
Colombia's defense chief announced that the president’s security detail had been reinforced.
Several members of Colombia’s political right have expressed support with Trump's stance, but voices from all sides of the ideological divide have condemned the threats of an invasion targeting Colombia.
Bilateral and Economic Pressure
Washington withdrew the president's entry visa subsequent to he encouraged American soldiers to refuse orders that violate law. Months later, the US enacted economic restrictions targeting Petro, the first lady and several close collaborators.
Concurrently while America bolstered its troop levels in the Caribbean and targeting suspected drug boats against Venezuela’s Maduro, the US also carried out strikes on boats in the eastern Pacific region near Colombia.
