The US has pledged £1bn successful assistance to Colombia, aft the country's caller right-wing president was sworn successful connected Friday.
Trump state Abelardo de la Espriella utilized his maiden code to committedness an "all-out war" connected what helium calls "narco-terrorism".
In a connection hailing a "new epoch successful US-Colombia relations", the US authorities section announced the fiscal enactment arsenic portion of a "security package" to assistance de la Espriella execute "our shared goals", which see warring organised transgression and amerciable immigration.
The caller president's inauguration marks a melodramatic displacement to the close for Colombia, arsenic helium replaces the left-wing erstwhile person Gustavo Petro, who often clashed with Trump.
Trump endorsed de la Espriella during the election, and said helium predicted a "much amended relationship" with his caller counterpart aft his triumph successful June.
A US delegation led by then-acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who has since been confirmed to the post, attended the inauguration. It was besides attended by embattled Fifa president Gianni Infantino.
De la Espriella chose to instrumentality the oath of bureau not successful Colombia's capital, Bogotá, but successful the volatile metropolis of Cali, successful the west. The alteration was intended to awesome a pugnacious attack to amerciable equipped groups operating successful the region.
In his fiery maiden code - addressing troops astatine a adjacent subject basal - de la Espriella pledged to crush equipped insurgents, rebuild Colombia and support ideology "by crushed oregon by force".
He said "in the property of the Tiger" - his self-appointed nickname - the authorities would beryllium forceful and decisive against crime.
"There volition not beryllium a azygous spot successful our territory wherever criminals tin consciousness safe," helium said.
The caller president had a palmy vocation arsenic a lawyer representing drug-trafficking paramilitaries, footballers and fraudsters earlier entering politics. Critics person warned his confrontational benignant could deepen divisions successful an already highly polarised country.
De la Espriella has vowed a crisp interruption with his left-wing predecessor. Instead of holding bid talks with equipped groups, helium has promised a brutal crackdown connected their activities and the operation of mega-prisons.
He has besides promised a beardown subject confederation with the US and Israel, successful stark opposition to Petro, a long-time professional of Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In 1 of his archetypal acts arsenic president, de la Espriella said Colombia would articulation the "Shield of the Americas" information concern founded by Trump.
The US welcomed this, and said it "stands acceptable to enactment the de la Espriella administration's efforts to decision the vicious narco-terrorist and transgression organisations" that endanger security.
The authorities section besides said shared goals included halting amerciable migration done "closer coordination connected borderline security".
What Washington calls de la Espriella's "pro-growth agenda" has created an accidental to "increase commercialized and deepen economical ties betwixt our countries", it added.
English (US)·