Colombian President Gustavo Petro has issued a stark warning that he would take up arms to defend his country if the United States were to launch a military invasion. This dramatic statement comes in direct response to threats made by former US President Donald Trump, who suggested he would consider military action in Colombia similar to the recent US intervention in Venezuela.
Trump's Provocative Threats and Accusations
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Donald Trump escalated a war of words with the South American nation's leader. He labelled Colombia as "very sick too" and claimed it was "run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States." Trump further alleged, without providing evidence, that President Petro operated "cocaine mills and cocaine factories," adding, "He is not going to be doing it very long."
When asked if military intervention in Colombia was a possibility, Trump replied: "It sounds good to me." This follows a pattern of US pressure in the region, with forces recently conducting operations to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
Colombia's Firm Rejection and Historical Context
President Petro, a former leftist guerrilla with the M-19 group who demobilised in the 1990s, vehemently rejected the accusations. "I am not illegitimate and I am not a narco," he stated. In a post on the social media platform X, he fired back: "Trump speaks without knowledge. Stop slandering me."
Petro, who was elected in 2022 and previously served as mayor of Bogotá, spent part of his youth in the M-19 but is not believed to have participated in combat. After demobilising, he helped draft Colombia's 1991 constitution and built a career as a lawmaker.
The Colombian defence minister, Pedro Sánchez, announced on Saturday that the president's security detail had been reinforced, highlighting the heightened state of alert.
Potential Consequences and Widespread Condemnation
In his defiant response, Petro warned of severe consequences should the US follow through with Trump's threats. "If they [the US] bomb peasants, they will become thousands of guerrillas in the mountains," he cautioned. He also suggested that detaining him would "unleash the 'jaguar' of the people."
Making a deeply personal pledge, the president declared: "I swore not to touch a weapon again ... but for the homeland I will take up arms again."
While Colombia remains the world's largest producer of cocaine, the trade is controlled by illegal armed groups like the Gulf Clan, the National Liberation Army (ELN), and dissident FARC factions. The US and Colombia have historically been close partners in anti-narcotics efforts, but relations have deteriorated sharply since Trump's remarks.
Notably, the US revoked Petro's visa in September 2023 after he called on American soldiers to disobey illegal orders. In October, it imposed financial sanctions on Petro, his wife, and several close collaborators.
Although some figures in Colombia's right-wing opposition have allied with Trump, voices across the political spectrum have broadly rejected the threat of a US attack on Colombian soil. The escalating rhetoric marks a significant low in a long-standing bilateral relationship.
