President Trump and his Colombian counterpart have escalated the volume of their war of words, heightening strains between the two countries after US forces attacked Venezuela with the aim of deposing President Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He operates drug factories and processing labs and his time is running out," Trump added.
Rising Rhetoric coupled with Allegations
Addressing journalists over the weekend, Trump threatened analogous military action against Colombia, claiming the nation faces serious problems and governed by a problematic figure who enjoys creating cocaine and selling it to the United States."
While Colombia remains the leading source of the narcotic, no proof exists implicating Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is in any way connected to the trade.
A Deteriorating Alliance
This nation has long been a close partner of the US in the fight combating drug cartels and benefited from cross-party backing from American politicians, however, the relationship have deteriorated significantly following Trump came to office.
Colombia’s illicit drug economy is predominantly run by criminal organizations such as the Clan del Golfo, the ELN guerrilla group and renegade units of the former Farc guerrillas, the majority of whose members demobilised following a 2016 peace deal.
Petro's Defiant Response
Upon being questioned whether a military operation like that in Venezuela was being considered regarding Colombia, Trump said: "I like the sound of that from my perspective."
Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who disarmed in the 1990s, firmly denied the accusations. "I am not an illegitimate leader and I am not a drug trafficker," he declared.
"The US president speaks uninformed. Stop slandering me," he posted in a post.
"If they [the US] bomb rural communities, they will turn into numerous insurgents in the mountains. And should they arrest the president, which many of Colombians loves and respects, they will provoke the ‘jaguar’ of the nation," Petro warned.
From Insurgent to Leader
He passed some years as a young man belonging in the left-wing M-19 insurgent movement although reports indicate to have ever took part in armed clashes. After demobilizing, he took part in writing the constitutional rewrite over three decades ago and eventually served as an influential politician. He held the office of mayor of the Colombian capital before winning the nation's highest office.
"I made a vow to abstain from using arms again ... but for the homeland I would take up the fight," he affirmed.
Heightened Measures and Broad Opposition
Colombia's defense chief reported that Petro's security detail had been reinforced.
Many among Colombia’s conservative opposition have expressed support with the US president, however, leaders from across the political spectrum have rejected the threats of a US attack on Colombia.
Bilateral and Economic Pressure
Washington cancelled the president's entry visa after he urged American soldiers to refuse any illegal orders. Months later, it placed asset freezes against the president, his spouse and various associates.
Concurrently the US was building up its troop levels near Venezuela and striking vessels thought to carry drugs against Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets executed strikes against vessels off the Pacific coast near Colombia.
