Colombian President Says 'I Will Return to Arms Again' if US Intervenes Militarily.

The US President along with his Colombian counterpart have turned up the rhetoric in their verbal conflict, heightening tensions bilaterally following American military units targeted Venezuela in an operation to oust Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from his position.

"He runs narcotics facilities and production sites and that won't last much longer," the US president stated.

Growing Rhetoric and Accusations

Speaking to journalists on Sunday, the US president hinted at similar military action against Bogotá, asserting the nation is also "very ill" and “run by a problematic figure who enjoys creating cocaine and distributing it to America."

While Colombia is the world’s largest producer of cocaine, no proof exists that President Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is personally involved in the trade.

A Frayed Alliance

Colombia for decades served as a close partner of Washington in the fight combating drug cartels and enjoyed bipartisan support in Washington, yet ties have worsened dramatically after Trump came to office.

The nation's narcotics trade is mainly overseen by guerrilla factions such as the Golf Clan, the ELN guerrilla group and dissident factions of the demobilized Farc, most of its former fighters demobilised following a 2016 peace deal.

Petro's Firm Response

When asked whether armed intervention similar to Venezuela was a possibility against his country, Trump responded: "That seems like a good idea from my perspective."

Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who demobilised in the last century, firmly denied Trump's claims. "I am no an illegitimate leader and certainly not a drug trafficker," he declared.

"Trump speaks uninformed. Cease defaming me," he posted in a post.

"If US bombs target peasants, they will turn into thousands of guerrillas in the hills. If they capture the nation's leader, which a large part of Colombians admires and supports, they will provoke the powerful force of the populace," the president cautioned.

From Insurgent to Leader

The president dedicated some years as a young man belonging of the leftist M-19 insurgent movement but is not believed to have ever engaged in fighting. Upon leaving the group, he participated in drafting the constitutional rewrite in the early 90s and eventually served as a respected lawmaker. He served as mayor of the capital city before winning president.

"I pledged not to touch a gun ... but in defense of my country I will take up the fight," he vowed.

Increased Security and Broad Opposition

Minister Pedro Sánchez stated that Petro's protection team was strengthened.

Many among Colombia’s conservative opposition have sided with Trump, yet figures from across Colombian politics have rejected the possibility of a US attack on Colombia.

Diplomatic and Financial Strains

Washington cancelled his travel authorization after he encouraged US troops to ignore orders that violate law. Later, in October, the US enacted asset freezes on Petro, his spouse and various close collaborators.

At the same time while America bolstered its troop levels in the region and bombing alleged narcotics traffickers against Venezuela’s Maduro, the US executed operations on boats off the Pacific coast adjacent to Colombia.