Gustavo Petro (Image: President’s Office)

Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro said that invading Venezuela would be the worst mistake.

During a meeting with his ministers, Petro reiterated his opposition to the US sending 4500 military personnel and three warships to the Venezuelan waters.

“I told [US President Donald] Trump, through his emissaries, that this would be the worst mistake,” said Petro.

The president, last week, ordered the military to prepare for a possible invasion of Venezuela.

Colombia rallies against possible US military intervention in Venezuela

According to Petro, this is not because he is an ally of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, but because he fears the consequences of an invasion.

The president warned that an invasion of Venezuela could cause a civil war similar to the one that has destroyed Syria since 2011. The civil war also led to spillover conflict in neighboring countries like Iraq and Lebanon.

The gringos are in trouble if they think invading Venezuela will solve their problem. They’re putting Venezuela in the same situation as Syria, only with the added problem that they’re dragging Colombia into the same mess.

Gustavo Petro

The deployment of US personnel came shortly after Washington increased the bounty on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to an unprecedented $50 million.

Additionally, Trump signed a secret directive allowing the military to use force against “cartels” throughout Latin America, per the New York Times.

Washington regards Maduro and his top officials as the leadership of a drug trafficking organization called Cartel de los Soles, by the Americans.

The recent developments have sparked fears of the US returning to the Monroe Doctrine and meddling in the domestic affairs of Latin American countries.

In response to the US threats, the Venezuelan President announced the deployment of 4.5 million militia members throughout the country.

Weapons and missiles for the peasant force! To defend the territory, sovereignty, and peace of Venezuela… Missiles and weapons for the working class, so that they can defend our homeland.

Nicolas Maduro

The recent developments have sparked fears of a new wave of US meddling in the domestic affairs of Latin American countries.