Name: Colombia vows to defend its sovereignty amid Trump’s military threats
Uploaded: 2026-01-07T08:26:43.308Z
Duration: 2 min 26 s
Description: Colombian President Gustavo Petro said he would “take up arms” in the face of threats issued by US President Donald Trump.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said he would “take up arms” in the face of threats issued by US President Donald Trump.

Bogotá

Colombia has responded firmly to military threats from former U.S. President Donald Trump, who suggested possible action against President Gustavo Petro after the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. The Colombian foreign minister stated that any move against Petro would be considered an offense to the country and emphasized the nation's capacity to defend itself.

In response to regional instability, Colombia has deployed 30,000 troops to its border with Venezuela to prevent violence and monitor refugee flows, while also remaining vigilant for potential U.S. actions. The Colombian government has underscored the legitimacy of its leadership and its commitment to national sovereignty amid ongoing tensions.

Colombia vows to defend its sovereignty amid Trump’s military threats

After capturing and detaining the Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, President Trump's been musing on who's next, and his gaze turned almost immediately onto the Colombian president, Gustavo Petro. He's making cocaine, they're sending it into the United States, so he does have to watch his ass. He's even talked about a military operation. On Tuesday, the response from the Colombian foreign minister. He's the legitimate president, the head of the security forces and of the state, and therefore any move against our president is an offence to our country. So why is Trump talking about Gustavo Petro? He's on the left, he's sparred with Trump before, and crucially he's in what Trump regards as the United States' rightful zone of interest, Latin America. Trump's repeatedly accused him of trafficking cocaine to the U.S. with no evidence. Since Maduro's capture, Colombia has deployed 30,000 troops to its border here with Venezuela. They're here to stop any violence from armed cross-border groups who are unhappy with the U.S. attack, and to watch out for any influx of Venezuelan refugees. But they're also on alert for any U.S. attack. The foreign minister was clear on what happens there. The defence of our sovereignty is paramount. For that purpose, we have a very capable, very well-prepared army, an army under the command of the head of state, President Gustavo Petro, who would have to defend our population should such a situation arise. It's not just Colombia that Trump's been casually threatening. He's mentioned Mexico. He wants to go in after drug cartels. His administration's looking at long-term enemy Cuba, too. Yeah, look, if I lived in Havana and I was in the government, I'd be concerned, at least a little bit. This is a president who's come to believe in the U.S. and its political and economic objectives being dominant in Latin America. But Colombia isn't Venezuela. It's got a democratic government, and there aren't widespread doubts about its president's legitimacy. Any attack here would be much harder to justify. Given recent events, that doesn't mean that the government here isn't taking it seriously. John Holman, Al Jazeera, Cucuta, Colombia.

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