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Saturday 08 Aug 2026
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LOCAL EDITION
Abelardo De La Espriella gestures after being sworn in as the country's new president during an inauguration ceremony, in Cali, Colombia. (Photo/Reuters)
US State Department officials have announced an intention to work with Congress to approve a $1 billion assistance package for Colombia, as the new right-wing President Abdelardo de la Espriella there took office.
"As a cornerstone of this renewed partnership, the United States, working with Congress, intends to announce $1 billion in assistance as part of a security package to support President (Abdelardo) de la Espriella’s administration in achieving our shared goals," the statement said late on Friday.
The agency said it would work with Colombia to strengthen its security forces through US technology, improved defense-spending efficiency, greater military interoperability and coordinated operations with US forces.
"Building on more than 200 years of friendship, the Trump Administration looks forward to working closely with the new administration to ensure security and prosperity for the United States, Colombia, and our hemisphere," it said.
De la Espriella, 48, who calls himself "The Tiger" was sworn in as Colombia's president Friday in Cali rather than the capital, Bogota, breaking with tradition in a move intended to underscore his stance against armed groups in the region.
He pledged to take a tougher approach to drug trafficking while implementing austerity measures aimed at strengthening the economy and restoring investor confidence.
A US presidential delegation led by acting Attorney General Todd Blanche represented Washington at de la Espriella’s inauguration, which the State Department said demonstrated the administration’s commitment to "reinvigorating" US-Colombia relations and deepening the two countries’ security and economic partnership.
De la Espriella, who holds dual US and Colombian citizenship, has offered to host US troops on Colombian soil and wants to bomb jungle cocaine labs, build "mega-prisons" and slash the size of the state.
De la Espriella vows to 'defeat narco-terrorists'
During his inaugration, De la Espriella vowed to restore order and eradicate "narco-terrorists" in a fiery first speech as leader on Friday.
The US-backed millionaire flew by helicopter to address soldiers in a military garrison after his inauguration in the southwestern city of Cali.
His mandate marks a sharp turn right for the Andean nation, with the 48-year-old keen to cozy up to Washington and come down hard on Colombia's patchwork of armed groups.
"There will be no room for maneuvers that undermine the stability of the nation," the president, who adopted a stiff military salute on the campaign trail, told hundreds of soldiers.
He pledged to "relentlessly defeat narco-terrorism," adding that "the option of dialogue is completely exhausted" — a reference to the former administration's spluttering peace talks with guerrillas.
The first thing on his to-do list, he said, was to join US President Donald Trump's regional anti-cartel alliance known as Shield of the Americas.
De la Espriella's leftist predecessor Gustavo Petro declined to attend the ceremony.
He earlier left the presidential residence in the capital, bidding "farewell, freedom and life."
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Source: TRT
