US pledges $1bn security package as Colombia's new right-wing president takes power

The United States has signalled a deepening of ties with Colombia by announcing its intention to request $1 billion in security assistance for the Andean nation. The pledge came on Friday as Abelardo de la Espriella, a right-wing millionaire with dual US-Colombian citizenship, was sworn in as president in the southwestern city of Cali.

In a statement, the State Department described the package as a cornerstone of a renewed partnership, saying it would support De la Espriella's administration in achieving shared goals. The president wasted no time in outlining his priorities, telling hundreds of soldiers at a military garrison that the option of dialogue with armed groups was exhausted and that he would relentlessly defeat what he called narco-terrorism.

A sharp turn to the right

De la Espriella's inauguration broke with tradition. Instead of the congressional palace in Bogotá, the ceremony took place in Cali, a city that has suffered repeated guerrilla attacks. Security was heavy, with 11,000 troops and an anti-drone system deployed. Among the guests were Argentina's President Javier Milei, FIFA president Gianni Infantino, and Todd Blanche, acting US attorney general, who led the American delegation. Petro, Colombia's first leftist president, declined to attend and left the presidential residence hours earlier, bidding farewell to freedom and life.

The new president, who styles himself The Tiger, campaigned on a platform of hosting US troops on Colombian soil, bombing jungle cocaine laboratories, building mega-prisons and slashing the size of the state. He also advocates fracking and tax cuts for the wealthy. His so-called Plan Colombia II explicitly references the multi-billion-dollar US-backed counter-narcotics and counter-insurgency programme of the early 2000s.

Divided congress and contested legitimacy

De la Espriella's victory margin was less than one percentage point, leaving him without a congressional majority. Petro has alleged electoral fraud without presenting evidence and called for mass protests, which drew hundreds of demonstrators in Bogotá and Barranquilla on Friday. Analysts note that the myriad armed groups operating in Colombia have shifted from ideological motivations to profit-driven cocaine trafficking, and that previous government truces allowed them to expand.

This government has a lot to prove. A lot was said during the campaign, said Marisol Peira, a 46-year-old resident of Cali.

Echoes of a controversial past

The original Plan Colombia succeeded in weakening major guerrilla organisations but also generated serious allegations of human rights abuses. De la Espriella's promise to eradicate coca crops by all means and his openness to US military involvement suggest a return to that muscular approach. Supporters such as German Angulo, a 63-year-old contractor, say a complete change is needed to curb crime. Critics warn that a purely military strategy risks repeating the abuses of the past while doing little to address the rural poverty that fuels recruitment.

With a hostile congress, a mobilised opposition and powerful armed groups entrenched in lucrative drug corridors, the new administration's ability to deliver on its promises will be tested quickly. The billion-dollar US package, still subject to Congressional approval, provides financial backing but also ties Colombia's security policy closely to Washington's agenda.