Colombian President Gustavo Petro has issued a dramatic warning that he is prepared to take up arms in defence of his nation, following what he perceives as a direct threat from United States President Donald Trump. The extraordinary statement comes amid soaring tensions across Latin America after the US capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
Trump's Provocative Remarks on Air Force One
The latest diplomatic crisis was triggered by comments made by President Trump to reporters aboard Air Force One on January 5, 2026. He described both Venezuela and Colombia as "very sick" nations. Turning his focus specifically to Colombia, Trump suggested the government in Bogota was run by a "sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States."
He added a ominous warning: "And he's not going to be doing it very long. Let me tell you." The US President pointedly refused to rule out the possibility of a future American military operation within Colombian territory.
Petro's Fiery Retort on Social Media
In a swift and impassioned response on the social media platform X, President Petro hit back at Trump's characterisation. He highlighted his own government's record, citing his personal demand for what he called the "largest seizure of cocaine in world history."
Petro issued a grave caution about the potential consequences of US military action. "If you bomb even one of these groups without sufficient intelligence, you will kill many children," he wrote. "If you bomb peasants, thousands of guerrillas will return to the mountains."
He saved his most potent warning for a scenario involving his own arrest, alluding to the capture of Maduro. "And if you arrest the president whom a good part of my people want and respect, you will unleash the popular jaguar."
The Colombian leader, a former guerrilla who has long since embraced peaceful politics, then made his most personal pledge. "Although I have not been a military man, I know about war and clandestinity," Petro stated. "I swore not to touch a weapon again since the 1989 Peace Pact, but for the Homeland I will take up arms again that I do not want."
Maduro's Dramatic Court Appearance in New York
The explosive exchange occurs against the backdrop of the unprecedented US operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro over the weekend. The 63-year-old ousted leader arrived at a Manhattan court building today, January 5, 2026, to face serious charges including narcoterrorism and weapons offences.
Maduro was seen being transferred from the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn in an armoured vehicle, handcuffed and wearing beige clothing with orange trainers. The operation, which Trump ordered alongside airstrikes on military targets in Caracas, has brought US-Latin American relations to a breaking point.
Court documents accuse Maduro of overseeing a "corrupt, illegitimate government" that used state power to protect drug trafficking. His wife, Cilia Flores, is also named as a defendant in the case.
The situation creates a highly volatile geopolitical standoff. With one leftist leader already in US custody and another threatening armed resistance, the hemisphere faces one of its most severe crises in decades. The international community watches anxiously as the rhetoric escalates, fearing the potential for a broader conflict.
