Donald Trump along with his Colombian counterpart have turned up the rhetoric of their exchange, heightening strains bilaterally following American military units targeted Venezuela in an operation to oust the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He runs narcotics facilities and cocaine factories and that won't last much longer," Trump remarked.
Escalating Threats and Accusations
Addressing journalists on Sunday, Trump hinted at similar military action against Bogotá, claiming the country is “very sick too” and led by a sick man who enjoys creating narcotics and distributing it to the United States."
While Colombia remains the leading producer of cocaine, no proof exists implicating Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is personally tied to the business.
A Deteriorating Alliance
The country has long been a key ally of Washington in the campaign against narcotics trade and benefited from wide political approval in the US capital, however, the relationship have deteriorated dramatically after Trump assumed the presidency.
Its narcotics trade is mainly overseen by illegal armed groups like the Golf Clan, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and breakaway groups of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), most of its former fighters demobilised subsequent to a 2016 peace deal.
The President's Defiant Answer
When asked if a military operation like that in Venezuela was a possibility regarding Colombia, Trump responded: "It sounds good to me."
The Colombian leader, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who disarmed in the last century, firmly denied these allegations. "I am neither illegitimate and I am not involved in narcotics," he affirmed.
"He comments uninformed. End the false accusations," he wrote online.
"If they [the US] bomb rural communities, they will turn into thousands of guerrillas in the mountains. And if they detain the nation's leader, which many of the population loves and respects, they will release the powerful force of the populace," the president cautioned.
From Guerrilla to President
The president dedicated some years as a young man belonging with the radical M-19 armed organization but is not believed he did not engaged in fighting. Upon leaving the group, he was involved in writing the constitutional rewrite in 1991 and later became a respected lawmaker. He held the office of mayor of Bogotá prior to his election the nation's highest office.
"I made a vow to abstain from using a weapon again ... but for Colombia I will take up the fight," he affirmed.
Increased Security along with Cross-Political Rejection
Colombia's defense chief reported that the national leader's security detail had received additional support.
A segment of Colombia’s political right have allied themselves with Trump, yet figures from all sides of the political spectrum have rejected the possibility of American military action against their nation.
Political and Financial Sanctions
American authorities withdrew his travel authorization subsequent to he urged American soldiers to disobey orders that violate law. In October, it placed asset freezes against the president, the first lady and several key allies.
Concurrently the US was building up its military presence in the region and bombing vessels thought to carry drugs to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces executed strikes against vessels in Pacific waters near Colombia.
