Colombian Leader Warns 'I Will Resort to Weapons Once More' if American Forces Invades.

President Trump and Colombia's president have escalated the volume of their war of words, further raising strains bilaterally after American military units attacked Venezuela with the aim of deposing Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power.

"He runs narcotics facilities and production sites and his time is running out," Trump remarked.

Escalating Rhetoric and Claims

Addressing reporters over the weekend, the American leader threatened comparable military action against Colombia, asserting the nation is also "very ill" and governed by a sick man who enjoys creating cocaine and selling it to the US."

Although Colombia remains the globe's biggest cocaine-producing country, no proof exists that President Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is in any way tied to the business.

A Strained Partnership

Colombia has long been a staunch collaborator of the US in the campaign against drug trafficking and enjoyed wide political approval from American politicians, but relations have worsened dramatically after Trump assumed the presidency.

Its drug trade is largely controlled by guerrilla factions like one major cartel, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and dissident factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), a large contingent of whom laid down arms subsequent to a historic peace agreement.

Petro's Defiant Rebuttal

When asked whether armed intervention like that in Venezuela was on the cards regarding Colombia, Trump responded: "That seems like a good idea to me."

Petro, an ex-guerrilla fighter who left armed struggle in the 1990s, categorically refuted these allegations. "I am not illegitimate and I am not a drug trafficker," he declared.

"He comments without knowledge. End the false accusations," he wrote in a message.

"Should American forces attack civilians, they will become thousands of guerrillas in the hills. And should they arrest the nation's leader, whom a significant portion of Colombians loves and respects, they will provoke the powerful force of the populace," Petro warned.

From Fighter to Statesman

He passed some years as a young man as a member with the radical M-19 armed organization but is not believed he did not participated in combat. Following his disarmament, he was involved in writing the constitutional rewrite in 1991 subsequently becoming a prominent senator. He held the office of mayor of the Colombian capital before being elected the presidency.

"I made a vow not to touch arms again ... but in defense of my country I will take up weapons once more," he vowed.

Reinforced Protection and Broad Opposition

Colombia's defense chief announced that Petro's personal security was strengthened.

Many among Colombia’s political right have expressed support with Trump, yet figures from all sides of the political spectrum have condemned the notion of an invasion targeting Colombia.

Diplomatic and Economic Pressure

The US revoked the president's entry visa after he urged US military personnel to refuse any illegal orders. In October, it placed financial sanctions targeting Petro, his spouse and several close collaborators.

Simultaneously while America bolstered its troop levels in the Caribbean and bombing vessels thought to carry drugs against Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces have also conducted strikes on maritime targets in Pacific waters adjacent to Colombia.