Colombia's President Declares 'I Will Return to Arms Again' should US Intervenes Militarily.

Donald Trump along with Colombia's president have turned up the tone of their war of words, further raising strains bilaterally after American military units attacked Venezuela with the aim of deposing the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from his position.

"He runs cocaine mills and production sites and his time is running out," the US president stated.

Escalating Rhetoric coupled with Accusations

Speaking to the press on Sunday, the American leader threatened analogous armed intervention towards the South American nation, stating Colombia is “very sick too” and led by a sick man who likes making cocaine and distributing it to America."

While Colombia stands as the leading cocaine-producing country, no proof exists that President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is personally involved in the trade.

A Deteriorating Alliance

This nation has long been a close partner of the US in the fight combating drug cartels and benefited from cross-party backing in the US capital, however, the relationship have soured significantly following Trump was elected.

Colombia’s drug trade is largely controlled by guerrilla factions like one major cartel, the ELN guerrilla group and breakaway groups of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), most of its former fighters demobilised after a 2016 peace deal.

Petro's Defiant Answer

When asked whether military intervention similar to Venezuela was a possibility regarding Colombia, Trump said: "It sounds good from my perspective."

The Colombian leader, a former leftist guerrilla who demobilised in the 1990s, firmly denied Trump's claims. "I am not illegitimate and certainly not involved in narcotics," he declared.

"He comments uninformed. Stop slandering me," he posted online.

"Should American forces attack peasants, they will become a multitude of fighters across the countryside. If they capture the nation's leader, which a large part of Colombians loves and respects, they will release the powerful force of the populace," the president cautioned.

From Fighter to President

Petro spent a period in his early life as a member with the radical M-19 guerrilla group but is not believed he did not participated in combat. Upon leaving the group, he participated in creating a new constitution over three decades ago and eventually served as a respected lawmaker. He served as mayor of the Colombian capital before being elected the nation's highest office.

"I pledged to never again hold arms again ... but for the homeland I shall resume arms again," he vowed.

Reinforced Protection and Broad Opposition

The Colombian defence minister reported that the national leader's protection team had received additional support.

Several members of Colombia’s conservative opposition have sided with Trump, yet figures spanning the ideological divide have rejected the threats of an invasion against their nation.

Diplomatic and Financial Pressure

American authorities cancelled his travel authorization after he called on US military personnel to disobey any illegal orders. Months later, authorities imposed asset freezes against the president, his wife and various key allies.

Concurrently while America bolstered its troop levels near Venezuela and striking suspected drug boats to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets executed attacks on boats in Pacific waters near Colombia.