Colombia’s president-elect, Abelardo de la Espriella, has given the country’s armed and guerrilla groups one month to surrender, promising a tough security crackdown as he prepares to take office.
Speaking after his narrow election victory, De la Espriella said illegal armed groups must arrange their surrender within a month, stressing that his administration would not offer the concessions granted under the outgoing government’s peace negotiations.
The 47-year-old, whose victory ends Colombia’s first leftist administration led by Gustavo Petro, pledged a tougher approach to tackling insecurity. During his campaign, he proposed bombing guerrilla camps and building “mega-prisons” similar to those in El Salvador.
De la Espriella also announced plans to strengthen military cooperation with the United States and Israel, saying Colombia’s relationship with Israel would reach unprecedented levels under his leadership.
His victory has heightened political tensions, with defeated leftist candidate Ivan Cepeda warning that supporters could resort to peaceful civil disobedience while distancing himself from post-election violence.
The president-elect’s hardline stance comes as Colombia faces its highest level of violence in a decade. A new United Nations report also showed that coca cultivation in the world’s largest cocaine-producing nation rose by 3.5 percent in 2024 despite the outgoing government’s efforts to negotiate peace with armed groups.
