Colombia's President Warns 'I Shall Return to Arms Once More' if United States Invades.
Donald Trump and Colombia's president have intensified the volume in their verbal conflict, further raising tensions between the two countries following American military units struck Venezuela to remove President Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He runs cocaine mills and cocaine factories and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.
Rising Tensions coupled with Claims
Talking to journalists over the weekend, the American leader suggested similar armed intervention against Colombia, asserting the nation faces serious problems and governed by a problematic figure who likes making the drug and trafficking it to the US."
While Colombia remains the world’s largest source of the narcotic, no proof exists implicating Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is in any way tied to the business.
A Deteriorating Alliance
This nation has long been a key ally of the United States in the campaign against narcotics trade and received wide political approval in the US capital, yet ties have soured dramatically following Trump assumed the presidency.
The nation's drug trade is largely controlled by guerrilla factions including the Clan del Golfo, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and dissident factions of the former Farc guerrillas, the majority of whose members disbanded subsequent to a 2016 peace deal.
Petro's Strong Rebuttal
When asked whether armed intervention like that in Venezuela was being considered for Colombia, Trump replied: "I like the sound of that from my perspective."
President Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who left armed struggle in the last century, categorically refuted the accusations. "I am neither an illegitimate leader and I am not a narco," he stated.
"He comments uninformed. Stop slandering me," he posted in a message.
"If US bombs target peasants, they will transform into a multitude of fighters across the countryside. If they capture the nation's leader, whom many of Colombians holds in high esteem, they will unleash the fierce spirit of the nation," he admonished.
From Fighter to Leader
He passed a period in his early life as a member of the leftist M-19 insurgent movement but is not believed that he never participated in combat. Upon leaving the group, he took part in writing a new constitution in the early 90s and eventually served as a prominent senator. He was mayor of Bogotá prior to his election the presidency.
"I swore to abstain from using a gun ... but in defense of my country I shall resume weapons once more," he affirmed.
Reinforced Protection along with Widespread Condemnation
Colombia's defense chief reported that the president’s personal security had been reinforced.
A segment of Colombia’s right wing opposition have sided with Trump, however, leaders from across the ideological divide have condemned the notion of an invasion on Colombia.
Political and Financial Strains
Washington withdrew the president's entry visa after he called on US troops to ignore orders that violate law. In October, the US enacted economic restrictions on Petro, his wife and several associates.
Concurrently as the US increased its troop levels in the Caribbean and targeting alleged narcotics traffickers to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces also carried out strikes on maritime targets in the eastern Pacific region adjacent to Colombia.