US maintains Colombia “failed demonstrably” in fighting drug trafficking
The United States President Donald Trump maintained that Colombia “failed demonstrably during the previous 12 months to make substantial efforts to adhere to their obligations under international counternarcotics agreements.” In an annual reviews, Trump stressed that the South American country maintains its an unwilling drug trafficking country “solely due to the incompetence and chaos produced…
In an annual review, US President Donald Trump stated that Colombia "failed demonstrably" in the past year to meet international counternarcotics obligations. Trump attributed Colombia's continued "failed demonstrably" status to the incompetence and chaos left behind by the previous far-left government. He hinted that the status might be lifted if Colombia makes progress in aggressive coca eradication and dismantling narcoterrorist networks.
President Abelardo de la Espriella pledged to launch an aggressive campaign against coca cultivation and cocaine production. According to Trump, Colombia was poised to regain its status as the hemisphere's foremost security partner. De la Espriella, who took office in August, informally joined the US Government's Shield of the Americas program to boost cooperation with conservative and far-right allies in the region.
His counternarcotics efforts included increasing air strikes on "narcoterrorist" groups, but these were halted by a court to protect victims of forced recruitment. The National Police launched a pilot aerial fumigation program, but also faced court suspension due to health and environmental concerns. The State Department pledged to seek $1 billion in aid, but has not yet sought these funds while dealing with the world's highest number of drug-related deaths.
Written by urgent.news from Colombia Reports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
