The Trump administration plans to provide $1bn in security assistance to the government of Colombia’s new rightwing president, the US state department announced, soon after Abelardo De La Espriella was sworn in and used his inaugural speech to pledge a vigorous fight against drug trafficking, as well as austerity measures to restore confidence in the economy.
De La Espriella, 48, won June’s runoff election with promises to crack down on armed groups, shrink the state by as much as 40% and revive the oil and gas sector.
