The US State Department announced late Friday that the Trump administration plans to provide $1 billion in security assistance to Colombia, shortly after Abelardo De La Espriella was sworn in as the country's new right-wing president. De La Espriella, 48, who calls himself "The Tiger," gave his inaugural speech at a military garrison in Cali, vowing to "defeat narco-terrorists" and start a "profound transformation" of the country's destiny.
He also pledged austerity measures to restore confidence in the economy. De La Espriella won June's runoff election on promises to crack down on armed groups, shrink the state by as much as 40%, and revive the oil and gas sector.