Colombia’s New Hard-Right President Vows to Remake the Country and Confront the Rebels

Abelardo de la Espriella, the combative lawyer known as “El Tigre,” was sworn in as Colombia’s president, promising order, growth and open confrontation with armed rebel groups. He inherits soaring violence, a fragmented Congress and a $34 billion financing gap, and has pledged to rebuild ties with Washington — part of a broader rightward shift sweeping South America.