Politics & Governance
Colombia president vows hard line as US plans $1bn aid
Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella used his first speech after taking office on August 7 to vow a hard line against armed and drug-trafficking groups, while the United States said it planned major security support for his new government.
Speaking to soldiers at a military garrison after his inauguration in Cali, De la Espriella pledged to “relentlessly defeat narco-terrorism” and said “the option of dialogue is completely exhausted,” referring to former president Gustavo Petro's troubled peace talks with guerrilla groups.
De la Espriella said his first task would be to join US President Donald Trump's regional anti-cartel alliance, Shield of the Americas. The US State Department later said the Trump administration intended to work with Congress to announce $1 billion in assistance as part of a security package to support the new administration.
De la Espriella has offered to host US troops in Colombia and has promised to bomb jungle cocaine labs, build “mega-prisons,” cut the size of the state and eliminate coca crops used for cocaine production “by all means.” He has described his proposed military cooperation with the United States and Israel as “Plan Colombia II,” echoing a US-backed anti-drug and security programme from the 2000s.
His narrow election victory of less than one percentage point ended four years of Colombia's first leftist government. He now faces a divided Congress where he lacks a majority.
The inauguration broke with tradition by taking place in Cali rather than at Congress in Bogota. Authorities deployed 11,000 troops and an anti-drone system for the event. Guests included Argentina's President Javier Milei, FIFA president Gianni Infantino and Todd Blanche, who led the US delegation.
Petro declined to attend the ceremony. He has claimed election fraud without providing evidence and called for mass protests in major cities on August 7; hundreds of people demonstrated peacefully in Bogota and Barranquilla.
The original Plan Colombia weakened key combat groups but also led to allegations of serious human rights abuses.
Update
The US State Department said the Trump administration intends to work with Congress to announce $1 billion in assistance as part of a security package for the new Colombian administration.
Source note: AFP news report published on 8 August 2026 at 02:26:58 UTC.
Update
De la Espriella said his first priority was for Colombia to join the US-led Shield of the Americas anti-cartel alliance.
The latest item says he addressed hundreds of soldiers at a military garrison after his inauguration.
The item gives more detail on his proposed Plan Colombia II and his desire for military cooperation with the United States and Israel.
Source note: AFP news report published on 8 August 2026 at 01:05:36 UTC.
Update
De la Espriella said there would be no room for actions that undermine national stability.
Argentina's President Javier Milei, FIFA president Gianni Infantino and Todd Blanche attended the inauguration in Cali.
Former president Gustavo Petro declined to attend and called for protests; hundreds demonstrated peacefully in Bogota and Barranquilla.
De la Espriella says he wants a military alliance with the United States and Israel and calls his proposal “Plan Colombia II”.
The original Plan Colombia weakened key combat groups but was linked to allegations of serious human rights abuses.
Source note: AFP news report published on 7 August 2026 at 23:59:53 UTC.
Update
Abelardo de la Espriella reiterated plans after his inauguration to eradicate what he called “narco-terrorism.”
He said in a speech at a military barracks in Cali that “the option of dialogue is completely exhausted.”
Source note: AFP news report published on 7 August 2026 at 23:04:32 UTC.
Update
Abelardo de la Espriella promised shortly after his inauguration to restore "order, authority and freedom."
De la Espriella said there would be no room for actions that undermine Colombia's stability.
Source note: AFP news report published on 7 August 2026 at 22:51:39 UTC.
Update
Vice President Jose Manuel Restrepo also took his oath at the ceremony.
De la Espriella and Restrepo cheered, embraced and gave their campaign's military salute after taking their oaths.
De la Espriella faces a divided Congress where he lacks a majority.
AFP quoted Cali residents Marisol Peira and German Angulo on expectations for the new government.
Experts cited by AFP said armed groups used government truces under Gustavo Petro as cover to grow.
Source note: AFP news report published on 7 August 2026 at 22:01:33 UTC.
Update
Abelardo de la Espriella was sworn in as Colombia's president at a ceremony in Cali on Friday.
AFP journalists observed the swearing-in.
Source note: AFP news report published on 7 August 2026 at 21:34:42 UTC.
Update
Outgoing President Gustavo Petro was not attending the Cali inauguration and left the presidential residence early in the afternoon with family and staff.
Petro said, “I hope you remember us” and “Farewell, freedom and life.”
FIFA president Gianni Infantino was among guests in Cali, with photos showing him arriving with the head of CONMEBOL.
Source note: AFP news report published on 7 August 2026 at 19:24:14 UTC.
Update
De la Espriella is described as a millionaire lawyer with a legal career that included representing drug-trafficking paramilitaries, fraudsters and football stars.
He campaigned using the self-proclaimed nickname “The Tiger” and AI-generated tiger images.
He promised an “all-out war” on armed groups, “mega-prisons,” a military alliance with Washington and Israel, and a drastically reduced state.
His incoming cabinet includes familiar right-wing politicians.
He says he now lives by “Judeo-Christian principles” and calls for a “cultural counterrevolution.”
Source note: AFP news report published on 7 August 2026 at 19:05:11 UTC.
Update
FIFA president Gianni Infantino arrived in Cali with the head of South American football federation CONMEBOL, according to photos published by Colombia's football federation.
Argentina's President Javier Milei and Todd Blanche, President Donald Trump's acting attorney general, were among right-wing figures expected at the inauguration.
The US delegation was described as including anti-drug policy officials.
Source note: AFP news report published on 7 August 2026 at 14:41:00 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The $1 billion US assistance was described as something the Trump administration intended to work with Congress to announce, not as completed funding.
Source
AFP news report published on .