Trump ally de la Espriella sworn in as Colombia president

Abelardo de la Espriella has been sworn in as Colombia's president. According to Punch Nigeria, he promised to combat drug-running guerrillas and strengthen ties with the US.

The swearing-in ceremony took place in Cali, Colombia's third largest city, under extreme security precautions, as reported by Colombia Reports. De la Espriella was sworn in by the president of Congress, Senator Honorio Henriquez of the far-right Democratic Center party. The ceremony was attended by the Spanish King Felipe VI, multiple heads of state from Latin America, and over 60 ambassadors.

The event was boycotted by the leftist Historic Pact party of former President Gustavo Petro, with some members, including Senator Ivan Cepeda, objecting to De la Espriella's US citizenship and alleged alliance with the US, as reported by Colombia Reports and El Pais.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch Nigeria, Colombia Reports, El Pais — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — read the original for the full account.