President Trump and President Gustavo Petro have intensified the tone in their verbal conflict, further raising tensions bilaterally after US forces targeted Venezuela to remove President Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He has drug factories and processing labs and is not going to be doing it very long," the US president stated.
Rising Tensions and Claims
Talking to the press over the weekend, the American leader suggested analogous use of force against Colombia, stating the country is also "very ill" and “run by a problematic figure involved in producing narcotics and distributing it to the US."
While Colombia is the leading producer of cocaine, authorities have found no indication linking President Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is personally connected to the trade.
A Frayed Alliance
Colombia has long been a key ally of Washington in the campaign against drug trafficking and enjoyed bipartisan support from American politicians, however, the relationship have deteriorated significantly after Trump assumed the presidency.
Its illicit drug economy is predominantly run by criminal organizations including the Clan del Golfo, the ELN guerrilla group and dissident factions of the former Farc guerrillas, most of its former fighters disbanded after a historic peace agreement.
Petro's Defiant Answer
Upon being questioned whether military intervention comparable to Venezuela was on the cards regarding Colombia, Trump responded: "That seems like a good idea to me."
Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who demobilised decades ago, rejected Trump's claims. "I am not illegitimate and I am not a narco," he stated.
"The US president speaks without information. End the false accusations," he posted online.
"If US bombs target peasants, they will turn into thousands of guerrillas in the hills. And should they arrest the president, whom a large part of the population admires and supports, they will provoke the powerful force of the nation," he admonished.
From Guerrilla to Statesman
Petro spent some years as a young man participating of the leftist M-19 guerrilla group although reports indicate to have ever participated in combat. Following his disarmament, he was involved in creating the constitutional rewrite in 1991 and later became a respected lawmaker. He served as mayor of the capital city before winning president.
"I pledged to never again hold a gun ... but in defense of my country I shall resume the fight," he said.
Heightened Measures along with Widespread Rejection
Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that Petro's protection team had been reinforced.
Several members of Colombia’s political right have sided with Trump's stance, but voices from across Colombian politics have rejected the possibility of an invasion against their nation.
Political and Financial Sanctions
The US revoked his travel authorization after he encouraged US military personnel to ignore any illegal orders. Months later, the US enacted financial sanctions targeting Petro, his wife and several close collaborators.
Concurrently the US was building up its forces in the region and bombing vessels thought to carry drugs to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets also carried out operations against vessels in Pacific waters near Colombia.
