Colombian President Declares 'I Would Resort to Weapons Once More' should American Forces Launches an Attack.

President Trump along with Colombia's president have escalated the rhetoric in their verbal conflict, heightening tensions bilaterally following American military units attacked Venezuela with the aim of deposing President Nicolás Maduro from power.

"He operates drug factories and processing labs and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.

Rising Tensions and Allegations

Talking to reporters on Sunday, the US president suggested similar military action towards the South American nation, asserting Colombia is also "very ill" and led by a sick man who enjoys creating the drug and distributing it to the US."

While Colombia remains the globe's biggest cocaine-producing country, there is no evidence linking President Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is personally involved in the illicit industry.

A Deteriorating Partnership

Colombia for decades served as a staunch collaborator of the United States in the struggle against narcotics trade and benefited from cross-party backing in Washington, yet ties have deteriorated significantly after Trump was elected.

The nation's narcotics trade is mainly overseen by criminal organizations including one major cartel, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and dissident factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), a large contingent of whom disbanded subsequent to a historic peace agreement.

The President's Strong Answer

When asked if military intervention similar to Venezuela was a possibility regarding Colombia, Trump responded: "It sounds good to me personally."

President Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who left armed struggle decades ago, firmly denied the accusations. "I am no an illegitimate leader and certainly not a drug trafficker," he stated.

"He comments uninformed. Stop slandering me," he expressed in a message.

"If US bombs target civilians, they will become a multitude of fighters across the countryside. And should they arrest the nation's leader, whom a significant portion of the country admires and supports, they will provoke the powerful force of the people," Petro warned.

From Guerrilla to Leader

Petro spent a period in his early life belonging of the leftist M-19 guerrilla group though it is believed he did not engaged in fighting. After demobilizing, he was involved in writing the constitutional rewrite in 1991 and eventually served as a prominent senator. He held the office of mayor of the capital city before being elected president.

"I pledged to abstain from using a gun ... but for the homeland I would take up arms again," he said.

Heightened Measures and Widespread Opposition

Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that Petro's protection team had been reinforced.

A segment of Colombia’s political right have allied themselves with Trump, but voices spanning the ideological divide have condemned the notion of a US attack targeting Colombia.

Political and Economic Sanctions

American authorities cancelled Petro’s visa after he encouraged US troops to refuse unlawful commands. Later, in October, the US enacted asset freezes targeting Petro, his spouse and various associates.

Simultaneously while America bolstered its troop levels in the Caribbean and striking alleged narcotics traffickers against Venezuela’s Maduro, the US executed attacks on maritime targets in the eastern Pacific region off the Colombian coast.