Donald Trump along with President Gustavo Petro have escalated the volume of their exchange, increasing tensions between the two countries after US forces attacked Venezuela to remove the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He operates narcotics facilities and processing labs and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.
Growing Tensions and Claims
Speaking to reporters over the weekend, the American leader threatened analogous armed intervention towards the South American nation, stating Colombia is also "very ill" and “run by an unwell individual involved in producing cocaine and trafficking it to America."
While Colombia remains the globe's biggest producer of cocaine, authorities have found no indication that President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is in any way involved in the business.
A Deteriorating Alliance
The country for decades served as a close partner of Washington in the campaign against drug trafficking and benefited from wide political approval from American politicians, however, the relationship have soured markedly after Trump was elected.
The nation's illicit drug economy is mainly overseen by criminal organizations including the Clan del Golfo, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and renegade units of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), the majority of whose members laid down arms after a historic peace agreement.
Colombia's Defiant Response
Upon being questioned if armed intervention comparable to Venezuela was being considered regarding Colombia, Trump said: "It sounds good to me."
The Colombian leader, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who disarmed decades ago, rejected Trump's claims. "I am not an illegitimate leader nor am I a drug trafficker," he declared.
"He comments uninformed. Cease defaming me," he expressed online.
"If US bombs target civilians, they will become thousands of guerrillas in the hills. And if they detain the president, whom a large part of the country holds in high esteem, they will release the ‘jaguar’ of the populace," Petro warned.
From Guerrilla to President
The president dedicated a period in his early life participating in the left-wing M-19 armed organization though it is believed to have ever engaged in fighting. Following his disarmament, he participated in drafting the constitutional rewrite in 1991 subsequently becoming a prominent senator. He served as mayor of the Colombian capital before winning president.
"I swore to abstain from using a weapon again ... but for Colombia I would take up weapons once more," he vowed.
Increased Security along with Broad Rejection
The Colombian defence minister reported that the national leader's protection team had received additional support.
Several members of Colombia’s conservative opposition have expressed support with Trump's stance, however, leaders from all sides of the ideological divide have condemned the notion of a US attack on Colombia.
Bilateral and Financial Pressure
The US cancelled the president's entry visa following he called on US military personnel to disobey orders that violate law. In October, the US enacted asset freezes targeting Petro, his wife and various associates.
At the same time the US was building up its military presence near Venezuela and targeting vessels thought to carry drugs to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces executed attacks on maritime targets in the eastern Pacific region adjacent to Colombia.
