Colombian Leader Says 'I Will Resort to Weapons Again' if American Forces Invades.
Donald Trump along with President Gustavo Petro have turned up the volume of their war of words, further raising strains bilaterally following US forces targeted Venezuela with the aim of deposing the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He runs cocaine mills and production sites and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.
Escalating Rhetoric and Accusations
Talking to the press on Sunday, the US president suggested comparable military action against Colombia, stating Colombia is also "very ill" and “run by a sick man involved in producing the drug and selling it to America."
Although Colombia remains the leading producer of cocaine, there is no evidence that President Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is in any way involved in the trade.
A Frayed Alliance
The country has long been a close partner of the United States in the struggle against drug trafficking and enjoyed cross-party backing from American politicians, but relations have soured markedly since Trump came to office.
The nation's drug trade is mainly overseen by criminal organizations such as the Clan del Golfo, another leftist insurgency and dissident factions of the former Farc guerrillas, most of its former fighters laid down arms following a landmark accord.
Colombia's Defiant Answer
In response to a query if a military operation like that in Venezuela was on the cards regarding Colombia, Trump responded: "That seems like a good idea to me."
The Colombian leader, an ex-guerrilla fighter who left armed struggle decades ago, rejected these allegations. "I am not illegitimate and certainly not a narco," he affirmed.
"The US president speaks without knowledge. Stop slandering me," he wrote in a post.
"Should American forces attack civilians, they will become numerous insurgents in the hills. And if they detain the president, whom a significant portion of the population admires and supports, they will provoke the ‘jaguar’ of the populace," Petro warned.
From Insurgent to President
He passed some years as a young man participating with the radical M-19 guerrilla group though it is believed to have ever participated in combat. After demobilizing, he took part in creating a new constitution in the early 90s and later became a respected lawmaker. He was mayor of Bogotá before winning president.
"I made a vow not to touch arms again ... but for the homeland I will take up weapons once more," he said.
Increased Security along with Broad Rejection
The Colombian defence minister reported that the president’s protection team had received additional support.
Several members of Colombia’s conservative opposition have sided with Trump, yet figures from all sides of the political spectrum have rejected the notion of American military action against their nation.
Diplomatic and Financial Pressure
Washington cancelled the president's entry visa subsequent to he encouraged US troops to refuse any illegal orders. Months later, authorities imposed financial sanctions targeting Petro, his spouse and a number of key allies.
Concurrently as the US increased its troop levels in the Caribbean and targeting alleged narcotics traffickers to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets have also conducted attacks against vessels in Pacific waters off the Colombian coast.