US offers $1bn to Colombia on new right-wing president's first day of office

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1. Version 2updated
   Saturday, August 8, 2026 at 4:52 PM UTC

   Abelardo de la Espriella pledged a crackdown on organised crime in his first speech as president on Friday The US has pledged $1bn (£740m) to Colombia hours after the country's new right-wing populist president was sworn in. Abelardo de la Espriella, an admirer of Donald Trump who echoed many of the US president's policies on the campaign trail, used his maiden speech to promise an "all-out war" on drug cartels. The US state department said the "security package" would help him achieve "our shared goals", which include fighting organised crime and illegal immigration. Trump repeatedly criticised de la Espriella's left-wing predecessor over his approach to both. The inauguration is the latest in a wider trend of Latin American nations shifting rightwards on a backdrop of economic hardship and concerns about gang violence.

2. Version 3published
   Saturday, August 8, 2026 at 6:55 PM UTC

   Abelardo de la Espriella used his maiden speech to promise an "all-out war" on what he calls "narco-terrorism".

3. Version 4unpublished
   Monday, August 10, 2026 at 12:04 PM UTC

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