US offers $1bn to Colombia on new right-wing president's first day of office - BBC News

Abelardo de la Espriella used his maiden speech to promise an "all-out war" on what he calls "narco-terrorism".

Image source, ReutersImage caption, Abelardo de la Espriella pledged a crackdown on organised crime in his first speech as president on Friday

The US has pledged $1bn (£740m) to Colombia hours after the country's new right-wing populist president was sworn in.

Abelardo de la Espriella, an admirer of Donald Trump who echoed many of the US president's policies on the campaign trail, used his maiden speech to promise an "all-out war" on drug cartels.

The US state department said the "security package" would help him achieve "our shared goals", which include fighting organised crime and illegal immigration. Trump repeatedly criticised de la Espriella's left-wing predecessor over his approach to both.

The inauguration is the latest in a wider trend of Latin American nations shifting rightwards on a backdrop of economic hardship and concerns about gang violence.