New Colombia president pledges robust fight against crime, fiscal austerity

Abelardo de la Espriella, 48, has been sworn in as Colombia's president. He won the June runoff election on promises to crack down on armed groups and revive the oil and gas sector. According to the Japan Times, de la Espriella aims to shrink the state by as much as 40%.

De la Espriella has pledged to take a robust stance against crime, vowing to "relentlessly defeat narco-terrorism" and eradicate "narco-terrorists", as reported by Free Malaysia Today. He has also expressed interest in strengthening ties with the US, with plans to join US President Donald Trump's regional anti-cartel alliance known as Shield of the Americas, as mentioned by Le Monde English.

The new president has also outlined plans to revive Colombia's oil and gas sector, restore state-owned energy company Ecopetrol, and strengthen the electricity system, as reported by the Associated Press. He has stated that he believes in an energy transition towards cleaner sources, but insists it must be built from a position of strength, not weakness. De la Espriella holds dual US and Colombian citizenship and has offered to host US troops on Colombian soil.

Brief written by urgent.news from Japan Times, Le Monde English, Associated Press, Free Malaysia Today, Punch Nigeria — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — read the original for the full account.