De la Espriella vows all-out war on narco-terrorism in Colombia

The Trump administration on Friday said it plans to provide Colombia with $1 billion in security assistance as Abelardo de la Espriella took office in Cali and vowed an "all-out war" on what he calls "narco-terrorism." The timing underscored what Washington is seeking from Bogotá: deeper security cooperation, tougher counternarcotics enforcement and a closer political alignment with Donald Trump.

De la Espriella was sworn in on Aug. 7, 2026, in Cali rather than Bogota, a choice that highlighted his hard-line posture on security. In his first speech as president, he pledged to restore order and crack down on armed groups and organised crime. Coverage also described him as a Trump ally and said his victory was expected to pull Colombia closer to the United States and Israel.

His win was narrow. De la Espriella defeated leftist candidate Iván Cepeda in June’s presidential runoff by less than a percentage point, or nearly 251,000 votes, after Cepeda initially challenged the result before conceding on June 24, 2026. The transfer of power ends Gustavo Petro’s presidency and marks Colombia’s first-ever break from a leftist government, a shift that fits a broader rightward turn across Latin America.

The $1 billion pledge gives de la Espriella immediate diplomatic and security capital, but it also ties Washington’s leverage to his promises on drugs, armed groups and migration pressure. A president who campaigned on a harder line against trafficking and illegal armed groups can offer the White House a stronger partner on interdiction and intelligence sharing, while also serving as a regional signal that Trump will reward governments that align with his agenda.

De la Espriella had already moved to deepen those alliances before the inauguration. He met Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar ahead of the ceremony and pledged to strengthen ties with Israel as well as the United States. With Petro gone and a Trump-backed conservative now in office, Colombia’s foreign policy is shifting toward Washington and away from the left-wing posture that defined the last administration.