Colombia’s President Abelardo de la Espriella called on the security forces to impose the law “like a giant with an iron fist, the iron fist of the State.”
During a meeting with commanders of the security forces, De la Espriella stressed that security “is the cornerstone of our government and the most forceful government policy.”
The president urged the security forces to confront crime with an iron fist and stressed that “our soldiers and police officers have the full and unconditional support of this government. Never again will they be mistreated or forced to bow down to crime.”
Here we must act like a giant with an iron fist—the iron fist of the state. And that ability to convey a sense of unity is what has a psychological impact on crime and sends a clear message to citizens: we are here to protect you, to look out for you, but also to enforce the law.
President Abelardo de la Espriella
De la Espriella called to erase the distinction between organized crime and illegal armed groups, and “treat them all under a single designation, which is that of terrorist groups,” claiming they are interconnected.
We have to stop treating these criminals differently. We must treat them all under a single designation, which is that of terrorist groups, because the criminal pyramid we have in Colombia—whose base is drug trafficking, followed by illegal mining, extortion, and smuggling—is all perfectly interconnected. The foundation of all crime and the primary source of all forms of violence is drug trafficking.
President Abelardo de la Espriella
“When it comes to fighting crime, there are no differences—neither in the state’s actions nor in its response and certainly not in the categorization” that allowed peace talks with groups like the FARC and ELN, according to the president.
“That is over in this administration. They are all terrorists, and we are going to treat them as such, no matter what happens,” said De la Espriella.
