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The US has pledged $1bn (\u00a3740m) to Colombia hours after the country’s new right-wing populist president was sworn in.<\/b><\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Trump has taken a greater interest in Latin America during his second term, courting politically aligned leaders and spurning those with whom he disagrees.<\/p>\n
Before the election, Trump said de la Espriella had the “total support and strength of the United States behind him”, predicting a “much better relationship” with Colombia after he was elected in June.<\/p>\n
A lawyer and businessman by trade, de la Espriella has cast himself as maverick outsider, vowing to combat crime with an “iron fist”.<\/p>\n
In a fiery first official speech – addressing troops at a nearby military base – de la Espriella pledged to crush armed insurgents, rebuild Colombia and defend democracy “by reason or by force”.<\/p>\n
He said in “the age of the Tiger” – a reference to his self-styled nickname – the state would be forceful and decisive against crime, adding: “There will not be a single place in our territory where criminals can feel safe.”<\/p>\n
Comparisons have been drawn between de la Espriella’s plans and similar crackdowns by similar right-wing populists Nayib Bukele and Daniel Noboa in El Salvador and Ecuador, respectively.<\/p>\n
This is in stark contrast to his predecessor, Gustavo Petro, who <\/b>pursued what he called a “total peace” strategy to the country’s internal armed conflict<\/a> between guerrilla groups, the state and cartels, which prioritised negotiation and incentivising farmers to stop planting coca.<\/p>\n Critics say the method failed. Membership of armed groups has expanded in recent years, and a brutal conflict between rival rebel groups along the Colombia-Venezuela border displaced tens of thousands of people last year<\/a>.<\/p>\n Colombia – and Petro’s policies – have been among targets Trump has repeatedly blamed for the flow of drugs and illegal migrants into the US.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n