Yankee Imperialism Promises Billions for the Counterinsurgency War in Colombia
Featured image: Abelardo De La Espriella takes office as President of Colombia on August 7. Source: AND.
Abelardo De La Espriella is officially President of Colombia since the August 7, when he took office in a ceremony in the Arena of the Santiago de Cali University (USC). On this same day, Yankee imperialism announced that it would make make one billion dollars available for the Colombian repressive apparatus, stating that it was part of the “security assistance”, A Nova Democracia (AND) recently reported. The new president of Colombia confirmed that the country will join the “Shield of the Americas” – a tool to deepen the Yankee imperialist intervention in Latin America.
The U.S. Department of State presented this aid package as a “cornerstone” in the relationship between both countries. AND analyzes the package as follows: “The measure gives concrete substance to the imperialist patronage that accompanied De La Espriella’s rise to power: one billion for the Colombian repressive apparatus, immediate integration in the US military structure and counterinsurgent offensive presented under the guise of ‘combat against narcoterrorism’ .”
Yankee imperialism has sent one delegation to Cali, led by Todd Blanche, an American attorney and close advisor of Donald Trump. They were joined by other prominent figures, such as Sara Carter, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, and Joseph Humire, Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Americas “Security” Affairs. The group of officials invited in this delegation, “makes clear that the bilateral priority will be increasing repression and coordinating militarized combat”.
On August 12, there was a new bilateral meeting, on this occasion in Panama, with the Yankee secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, who greeted the incorporation of Colombia to the “Shield of the Americas”, and reaffirmed the commitment to carry out joint operations against what he labeled as “drug traffickers and terrorist networks”, and by doing so upholding the “Donroe Doctrine”.
AND reports that the counterinsurgent offensive, announced by De La Espriella, has already started. On August 12, the first bombings on positions of the National Liberation Army (ELN) took place in Catatumbo. Local organizations condemned that the operations have targeted the civilian population, injuring peasants, destroying their homes and displacing families.
