Colombian Leader Warns 'I Would Return to Arms Once More' should American Forces Invades.

Donald Trump and Colombia's president have turned up the rhetoric in their verbal conflict, further raising tensions between the two countries following American military units attacked Venezuela with the aim of deposing President Nicolás Maduro from office.

"He runs drug factories and processing labs and that won't last much longer," Trump added.

Rising Threats and Claims

Addressing journalists on Sunday, Trump suggested similar use of force against Colombia, claiming Colombia is also "very ill" and “run by an unwell individual involved in producing cocaine and selling it to America."

While Colombia stands as the world’s largest cocaine-producing country, there is no evidence that President Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is in any way tied to the business.

A Frayed Alliance

This nation has long been a key ally of the US in the fight against drug trafficking and received cross-party backing in the US capital, but relations have soured markedly after Trump was elected.

The nation's drug trade is mainly overseen by guerrilla factions like one major cartel, the ELN guerrilla group and breakaway groups of the demobilized Farc, the majority of whose members laid down arms subsequent to a 2016 peace deal.

The President's Defiant Rebuttal

When asked whether military intervention comparable to Venezuela was on the cards against his country, Trump said: "It sounds good to me personally."

Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who left armed struggle in the last century, categorically refuted the accusations. "I am not an illegitimate leader and certainly not a narco," he stated.

"He comments without knowledge. Cease defaming me," he expressed online.

"If they [the US] bomb rural communities, they will turn into a multitude of fighters in the hills. If they capture the president, which a significant portion of the country admires and supports, they will provoke the fierce spirit of the nation," Petro warned.

From Fighter to President

Petro spent a period in his early life as a member of the leftist M-19 insurgent movement though it is believed to have ever participated in combat. Upon leaving the group, he was involved in writing a new constitution in the early 90s subsequently becoming an influential politician. He held the office of mayor of the capital city prior to his election the presidency.

"I pledged to abstain from using a gun ... but for the homeland I will take up weapons once more," he vowed.

Reinforced Protection and Broad Opposition

Colombia's defense chief stated that the national leader's security detail had received additional support.

Many among Colombia’s conservative opposition have sided with Trump, yet figures from all sides of Colombian politics have denounced the possibility of American military action on Colombia.

Bilateral and Economic Sanctions

Washington withdrew his travel authorization after he called on US military personnel to ignore unlawful commands. Months later, the US enacted asset freezes targeting Petro, his spouse and various close collaborators.

Concurrently the US was building up its troop levels in the region and bombing alleged narcotics traffickers to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets also carried out attacks on maritime targets in Pacific waters off the Colombian coast.