US Pledges $1bn Security Package to Colombia as New President Vows War on Drug Cartels
The United States has pledged $1bn (£740m) in security assistance to Colombia shortly after the country’s newly elected right-wing populist president, Abelardo de la Espriella, was sworn into office.
De la Espriella, a strong admirer of US President Donald Trump, used his inaugural speech to declare an “all-out war” on drug cartels and armed groups, promising a tougher approach to crime and insecurity.
The US State Department said the security package would support Colombia in pursuing shared priorities, including combating organised crime and illegal immigration. These issues were among those Trump frequently criticised De la Espriella’s left-wing predecessor, Gustavo Petro, over.
De la Espriella’s inauguration reflects a broader shift towards right-wing politics in parts of Latin America, where economic difficulties, organised crime and rising gang violence have become major political concerns.
Trump has taken a more active interest in the region during his second term, strengthening ties with leaders whose policies align with his administration while taking a tougher stance towards governments with opposing views.
Before Colombia’s election, Trump publicly endorsed De la Espriella, saying the candidate had the “total support and strength” of the United States behind him and predicting that his victory would lead to a stronger relationship between Washington and Bogotá.
A lawyer and businessman, De la Espriella presented himself during the campaign as a political outsider and promised to tackle crime with an “iron fist”.
In his first major speech as president, delivered to troops at a military base, he vowed to defeat armed groups, rebuild the country and defend democracy “by reason or by force”.
Referring to himself by his nickname, “El Tigre”, he said his administration would take an uncompromising approach to criminals.
“There will not be a single place in our territory where criminals can feel safe,” he said.
His security agenda has drawn comparisons with the aggressive crime-fighting strategies pursued by other right-wing populist leaders in the region, including Nayib Bukele of El Salvador and Daniel Noboa of Ecuador.
The approach represents a major departure from Petro’s “total peace” strategy, which focused on negotiations with guerrilla groups and criminal organisations and incentives for farmers to abandon coca cultivation.
Critics of Petro’s policy argue that it failed to deliver the desired results, pointing to the expansion of armed groups and renewed violence in parts of the country. Fighting between rival rebel groups along the Colombia-Venezuela border also displaced tens of thousands of people last year.
Colombia and Petro’s policies had repeatedly come under criticism from Trump, who blamed the country’s approach for contributing to the flow of illegal drugs and migrants into the United States.
One of De la Espriella’s first actions in office was to announce that Colombia would join the “Shield of the Americas”, a security partnership established by Trump.
The US State Department welcomed the decision, saying De la Espriella’s pro-growth agenda could create opportunities to expand trade and deepen economic ties between the two countries.
Colombia is now joining a growing group of Latin American governments seeking closer relations with the Trump administration, including Argentina under libertarian President Javier Milei, whom De la Espriella has said he admires.
The political shift has also left Brazil’s left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva with fewer ideological allies across the region as the number of left-leaning governments declines.
De la Espriella has further pledged to strengthen Colombia’s military cooperation with both the US and Israel, marking another significant break from Petro, who cut diplomatic ties with Israel over its military campaign in Gaza and was a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause.
Who is Abelardo de la Espriella?
Known as “El Tigre”, De la Espriella is a media-savvy lawyer and millionaire businessman who built his political image around being an outsider.
Rather than taking his oath of office in Bogotá, he chose Cali, a move seen as part of his effort to distance himself from Colombia’s traditional political establishment.
Before entering politics, he worked as a defence lawyer and represented drug-trafficking paramilitaries—criminal groups he now promises to aggressively target as president.
His political rise came after a conservative presidential candidate was assassinated during the election period. De la Espriella subsequently appeared at campaign events behind bulletproof glass and, at times, wore a bulletproof vest.
He has also been a US citizen since 2023, having spent several years living and working in Miami.
His close relationship with Washington and his hardline approach to security are expected to shape Colombia’s domestic and foreign policy as he begins his administration.
