Colombia's President Warns 'I Will Take Up Arms Once More' if American Forces Intervenes Militarily.

Donald Trump along with his Colombian counterpart have intensified the volume of their war of words, increasing tensions in their relations following US forces attacked Venezuela to remove the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from office.

"He runs drug factories and cocaine factories and his time is running out," Trump added.

Escalating Threats coupled with Claims

Addressing journalists over the weekend, the US president suggested comparable use of force against Colombia, claiming the country faces serious problems and “run by an unwell individual who enjoys creating narcotics and trafficking it to the US."

While Colombia is the world’s largest source of the narcotic, authorities have found no indication that President Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is directly connected to the trade.

A Deteriorating Relationship

The country was historically a key ally of the US in the struggle against narcotics trade and received cross-party backing in the US capital, yet ties have soured markedly since Trump assumed the presidency.

Its narcotics trade is mainly overseen by guerrilla factions like the Clan del Golfo, another leftist insurgency and dissident factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), most of its former fighters laid down arms subsequent to a historic peace agreement.

The President's Strong Rebuttal

In response to a query whether military intervention like that in Venezuela was being considered against his country, Trump responded: "I like the sound of that to me personally."

President Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who disarmed decades ago, firmly denied the accusations. "I am no illegitimate and certainly not involved in narcotics," he declared.

"He comments without information. End the false accusations," he posted in a post.

"If US bombs target peasants, they will transform into thousands of guerrillas in the hills. And should they arrest the nation's leader, whom a large part of the population holds in high esteem, they will release the ‘jaguar’ of the people," the president cautioned.

From Fighter to President

Petro spent some years as a young man as a member in the left-wing M-19 insurgent movement although reports indicate that he never took part in armed clashes. Following his disarmament, he took part in creating the constitutional rewrite over three decades ago and later became a respected lawmaker. He held the office of mayor of the capital city prior to his election the presidency.

"I pledged not to touch arms again ... but for Colombia I would take up arms again," he said.

Heightened Measures along with Cross-Political Condemnation

Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that the national leader's personal security had been reinforced.

A segment of Colombia’s political right have expressed support with Trump, but voices from across the political spectrum have denounced the possibility of a US attack on Colombia.

Bilateral and Financial Sanctions

Washington revoked his travel authorization subsequent to he called on American soldiers to disobey any illegal orders. Months later, authorities imposed asset freezes on Petro, his spouse and several key allies.

At the same time the US was building up its troop levels in the region and targeting vessels thought to carry drugs to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets have also conducted strikes on boats off the Pacific coast adjacent to Colombia.