The verbal escalation between the president of the United States; Donald Trump, and his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, have reached a new high point this Sunday. The Republican has accused Petro of being “a drug trafficking leader who encourages the massive production of drugs, both in large and small fields, throughout Colombia.”
The relationship between both leaders has not gone through its best moment since last week, when a drug shipment was allegedly transported in shallow waters of the Caribbean Sea. The Republican assured that it was a drug boat from Venezuela, where he has declared war on the drug bosses.
But Colombian President Petro suspects that the attack occurred in Colombian waters and that the submarine was crewed by citizens of that country. In fact, one of the survivors of the US army attack is Colombian and the other is Ecuadorian. Both have been extradited to their countries, as announced yesterday by Trump.
The dialectical exchange between both leaders is increasing tension between two countries with a close commercial relationship. Washington is Bogotá’s main commercial and military partner. “(Drug trafficking) has become, by far, the biggest business in Colombia, and Petro does nothing to stop it, despite large-scale payments and subsidies from the United States, which are nothing more than a long-term scam,” Trump wrote this Sunday through his social network, Truth. “Starting today, these payments, or any other form of payment or subsidy, will stop being made to Colombia,” the Republican has threatened.
Petro “A new scenario of war has opened: the Caribbean. Indications show that the last boat bombed was a Colombian one with Colombian citizens inside. I hope their families appear and report. There is no war against smuggling, there is a war for oil and it must be stopped by the world. The aggression is against all of Latin America and the Caribbean.”
Petro has been highly critical of US military interventions in the Caribbean. Despite the fact that relations between both countries are going through a difficult time.
“Petro, an unrecognized and very unpopular leader, with a fresh attitude towards the United States, should close these death camps immediately, or the United States will close them, and he will not be well received,” Trump wrote on his social network this Sunday.
Last Wednesday, Trump acknowledged that he had authorized “covert CIA actions” in Venezuelan territory, a decision reminiscent of the years of Washington’s interventionism in Latin America, during the last third of the last century. Last Friday he said: “We attacked a submarine. It was specially designed for the mass transportation of drugs. It’s just so you understand. It wasn’t a group of innocent people. I don’t know how many people have submarines.”
The Trump Administration has declared war against Venezuelan drug trafficking gangs. In total, there have been six known United States operations against vessels sailing near the coast of Venezuela. The White House has described these operations as “acts of war,” despite the fact that they contradict both the principles of international law.
