Colombia’s new President, Abelardo de la Espriella, has declared an end to dialogue with the country’s armed groups and vowed to launch an aggressive campaign against what he described as “narco-terrorism”, signalling a sharp break from the security strategy of his left-wing predecessor, Gustavo Petro.
De la Espriella, a conservative political outsider who took office on Friday, made security the centrepiece of his first major address as president, speaking to troops at a military base in Cali shortly after his inauguration.
He pledged to “relentlessly defeat narco-terrorism” and declared that the option of dialogue with armed groups was exhausted.
His inauguration in Cali, rather than the traditional setting in Bogotá, was itself a significant departure. Authorities deployed about 11,000 security personnel and additional anti-drone measures across the city for the ceremony.
De la Espriella’s administration is expected to move Colombia considerably closer to the United States under President Donald Trump.
One of his first announced foreign-policy moves was Colombia’s entry into the US-backed “Shield of the Americas”, a regional security initiative focused on combating organised crime and drug cartels.
The shift has already received a positive response from Washington, with the US administration saying it intended to work with Congress on a $1 billion security assistance package to support the new Colombian government.
De la Espriella has advocated closer military cooperation with the United States and Israel and has offered to host US troops in Colombia.
His security programme includes tougher action against armed groups, the destruction of coca crops and the construction of large prisons.
The president’s hardline approach marks a direct break from Petro’s “total peace” strategy, under which the previous government pursued negotiations and ceasefires with several armed groups.
Critics of that strategy argued that criminal organisations used the truces to expand their territorial control and illicit activities.
De la Espriella has promised instead to prioritise military pressure and dismantle the networks behind cocaine trafficking.
His victory was narrow. He defeated left-wing candidate Iván Cepeda in the June 21 runoff by less than one percentage point, ending four years of Colombia’s first leftist administration.
He now faces the challenge of implementing his programme without a majority in Congress, making negotiations with lawmakers essential to passing major reforms.
The new president has also promised sweeping economic changes, including reducing the size of government, cutting public spending, lowering taxes and reviving oil and gas investment.
His security agenda has revived comparisons with the earlier US-backed “Plan Colombia”, a major anti-drug and counterinsurgency programme that helped weaken key armed groups and trafficking organisations.
However, the programme was also accompanied by allegations of serious human rights abuses.
De la Espriella’s first days in office will therefore be closely watched as Colombia tests whether a tougher military strategy can curb violence and cocaine trafficking while avoiding a return to the abuses associated with earlier counterinsurgency campaigns.
