Share this article:XBlueskyFacebookGet Article LinkAbelardo de la Espriella was sworn in as Colombia’s president on Friday, in a ceremony that was held in the southwestern city of Cali rather than the capital, Bogota. The break from precedent was a symbolic nod to the right-wing neophyte’s campaign promise to adopt a hardline approach to security, as Cali has seen a spike in violent attacks by the country’s various armed groups. De la Espriella, a lawyer who amassed his fortune in part by defending members of Colombia’s right-wing paramilitaries from criminal charges dating back to the civil war period, has never held public office before. In a show of intent upon taking office, he immediately ordered the Colombian military to conduct lethal strikes against various armed groups, killing six. According to Colombian officials, the dead included the leader of a splinter group of the FARC insurgency that had refused to demobilize following the 2016 peace deal between the guerrillas and the Colombian government.