Colombia's President Declares 'I Would Take Up Arms Again' should American Forces Launches an Attack.
Donald Trump along with Colombia's president have turned up the volume in their verbal conflict, heightening strains between the two countries following American military units attacked Venezuela in an operation to oust the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He has narcotics facilities and production sites and that won't last much longer," Trump added.
Rising Tensions and Accusations
Talking to the press on Sunday, Trump hinted at similar use of force against Bogotá, stating the country is also "very ill" and governed by a problematic figure who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States."
While Colombia is the world’s largest source of the narcotic, there is no evidence that President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is directly connected to the business.
A Frayed Partnership
This nation has long been a close partner of Washington in the campaign against narcotics trade and received wide political approval in the US capital, however, the relationship have worsened dramatically after Trump was elected.
The nation's drug trade is largely controlled by illegal armed groups like the Golf Clan, another leftist insurgency and renegade units of the former Farc guerrillas, most of its former fighters disbanded after a 2016 peace deal.
Petro's Defiant Rebuttal
Upon being questioned whether armed intervention comparable to Venezuela was a possibility for Colombia, Trump responded: "I like the sound of that to me personally."
Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who left armed struggle in the last century, firmly denied the accusations. "I am neither illegitimate and certainly not involved in narcotics," he declared.
"Trump speaks uninformed. End the false accusations," he posted in a post.
"If US bombs target rural communities, they will turn into a multitude of fighters in the hills. And should they arrest the president, which a significant portion of Colombians loves and respects, they will unleash the fierce spirit of the nation," the president cautioned.
From Guerrilla to Statesman
Petro spent a period in his early life as a member in the left-wing M-19 guerrilla group but is not believed to have ever engaged in fighting. After demobilizing, he participated in writing a new constitution over three decades ago and eventually served as a respected lawmaker. He was mayor of Bogotá before being elected president.
"I pledged to abstain from using a gun ... but in defense of my country I will take up the fight," he affirmed.
Heightened Measures along with Widespread Rejection
Minister Pedro Sánchez reported that the president’s security detail was strengthened.
A segment of Colombia’s right wing opposition have expressed support with the US president, but voices from across the ideological divide have denounced the possibility of American military action against their nation.
Diplomatic and Financial Strains
Washington withdrew Petro’s visa subsequent to he called on American soldiers to refuse unlawful commands. Months later, it placed financial sanctions on Petro, his spouse and several associates.
Simultaneously the US was building up its military presence in the Caribbean and striking alleged narcotics traffickers to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets executed strikes against vessels in the eastern Pacific region near Colombia.