The Trump-friendly de la Espriella was elected on a promise to fight “narco-terrorism without a ceasefire,” with both the military and mega-prisons, and he has the support of both the US and Israel. But on his first day, de la Espriella saw evidence of the violent capital that guerrilla groups and drug traffickers possess.
Leads breakout
Colombia's army says FARC guerrillas used explosives to destroy a toll booth on the Pan-American Highway in Santander de Quilichao in the southwest of the country, causing minor injuries to security guards. Rebels led by the country's most wanted guerrilla leader Iván Mordisco are active in the area.
Mordisco leads FARC rebels who defected from the peace agreement with the Colombian government in 2016.
“No mercy”
About a hundred miles away, in the northern department of Cesar, a policeman was killed when a drone loaded with explosives hit a police station, local authorities said.
de la Espriella writes on X : “To those responsible, I send a clear message: there will be no refuge, no mercy and no impunity.”
Abelardo de la Espriella won the presidential election in June. His inauguration marks a sharp ideological shift after four years under Gustavo Petro, the first leftist president in the country's history, who emphasized poverty reduction in the fight against crime.
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