Colombia's President Warns 'I Shall Take Up Arms Again' if United States Launches an Attack.
President Trump and his Colombian counterpart have turned up the volume in their verbal conflict, further raising tensions in their relations following US forces struck Venezuela to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He runs drug factories and cocaine factories and his time is running out," Trump added.
Escalating Tensions and Allegations
Addressing reporters on Sunday, the US president hinted at comparable military action against Bogotá, claiming Colombia faces serious problems and “run by a sick man who likes making narcotics and selling it to America."
Although Colombia remains the globe's biggest source of the narcotic, authorities have found no indication implicating Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is personally connected to the illicit industry.
A Deteriorating Alliance
The country has long been a key ally of Washington in the struggle combating drug cartels and benefited from bipartisan support in the US capital, but relations have soured markedly since Trump came to office.
Colombia’s narcotics trade is largely controlled by criminal organizations like the Clan del Golfo, another leftist insurgency and dissident factions of the demobilized Farc, the majority of whose members demobilised after a landmark accord.
Colombia's Strong Response
When asked if armed intervention like that in Venezuela was on the cards against his country, Trump replied: "I like the sound of that to me."
Petro, an ex-guerrilla fighter who demobilised in the 1990s, rejected these allegations. "I am not illegitimate and I am not a narco," he stated.
"The US president speaks without knowledge. Stop slandering me," he posted in a post.
"If they [the US] bomb peasants, they will turn into numerous insurgents across the countryside. And if they detain me, which a significant portion of Colombians admires and supports, they will provoke the powerful force of the nation," he admonished.
From Insurgent to Leader
Petro spent a period in his early life belonging of the leftist M-19 insurgent movement although reports indicate to have ever took part in armed clashes. Upon leaving the group, he participated in creating the constitutional rewrite over three decades ago and later became a respected lawmaker. He was mayor of the Colombian capital before winning president.
"I pledged to abstain from using arms again ... but for the homeland I will take up the fight," he said.
Increased Security along with Widespread Rejection
Colombia's defense chief reported that the president’s personal security had received additional support.
A segment of Colombia’s political right have sided with Trump's stance, yet figures from across Colombian politics have rejected the possibility of an invasion on Colombia.
Political and Economic Strains
American authorities revoked Petro’s visa after he encouraged American soldiers to refuse orders that violate law. Months later, the US enacted financial sanctions targeting Petro, his wife and various close collaborators.
Simultaneously while America bolstered its military presence in the Caribbean and targeting suspected drug boats to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets have also conducted operations on maritime targets off the Pacific coast adjacent to Colombia.
