U.S. to Provide $1 Billion in Security Aid to Colombia Following New President's Inauguration
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The United States announced a $1 billion security assistance package for Colombia as President Abelardo De La Espriella pledged a crackdown on drug trafficking and armed groups.
The United States said it will allocate $1 billion in security assistance to Colombia under a renewed partnership with the new administration. The announcement came shortly after President Abelardo De La Espriella was sworn in and outlined his agenda to combat drug trafficking and reduce the size of the state.
De La Espriella, 48, told troops at a military base in Cali that his government would restore order, authority and freedom, and warned criminal gangs and narco-terrorist groups that they must either submit to the rule of law or face a determined response from the state. He also said peace talks with armed groups had been "completely exhausted."
"I have come to close a long chapter of national resignation and, together with the people, embark on the most profound transformation of our destiny," De La Espriella said in his inaugural speech.
The U.S. State Department stated that the assistance is intended to help Colombia achieve shared security goals. Analysts note that while the president may try to implement some measures by decree, many proposals will need congressional approval and could be modified through negotiations.
De La Espriella pledged to eradicate illicit coca crops using aerial herbicides he described as not harmful to human health or the environment, and announced that Colombia would join the Shield of the Americas program. Prior to his inauguration, he met with leaders from Spain, Argentina, Ecuador, Chile, Paraguay and Panama, and was accompanied by a U.S. delegation led by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.
Opposition leader Senator Ivan Cepeda, a close ally of former President Gustavo Petro, organized a march in Barranquilla, urging defenders of democracy to engage in peaceful civil disobedience.