Paramilitary Shadows Loom Over Colombia's Presidential Runoff
WHO:
The Guardian - Abelardo de la Espriella, a far-right admirer of Trump, launched his legal career defending paramilitary leaders.
The Guardian - Iván Cepeda, whose father was assassinated by army officers linked to a paramilitary group, is a human rights activist.
The Guardian - Iván Cepeda, Abelardo de la Espriella, Donald Trump, Gustavo Petro, Miguel Uribe Turbay
The Guardian - The United Self-Defence Forces of Colombia (AUC), Gulf Clan
WHAT:
The Guardian - The winner of the presidential runoff will inherit the country’s worst violence since the 2016 peace agreement.
The Guardian - De la Espriella has proposed a return to full-scale military confrontation against crime.
The Guardian - Cepeda is regarded as the main architect of Petro’s “total peace” plan.
The Guardian - Eleven Democratic members of the US Congress sent a letter to the Trump administration arguing that it should examine De la Espriella's ties to the AUC.
The Guardian - An investigation reported that among the minority shareholders of De la Espriella’s businesses are relatives of convicted paramilitary leader Hugues Rodríguez Fuentes, known as “Comandante Barbie.”
ABC News - More than 41 million people are eligible to vote in the presidential runoff.
ABC News - The election comes 10 years after Colombia signed a historic peace pact with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
ABC News - The heavily criticized strategy of "total peace" initiated by Petro took until Thursday to see the first armed group, consisting of about 100 members, give up its weapons and begin a resettlement process.
The Guardian - De la Espriella has been nicknamed “The Tiger.”
ABC News - In the first round, Cepeda earned 41% of the vote, while de la Espriella garnered 44%, according to official results.
ABC News - Authorities recorded 14,780 homicides last year, the most since at least 2015, driven by clashes among illegal armed groups.
ABC News - Extortions soared to 13,417 cases in 2025, more than double the number tallied in 2015.
ABC News - De la Espriella has promised to build 10 mega-prisons, emulating the policies of El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele.
ABC News - Colombia's illegal groups have more than 27,000 members.
The Guardian - Trump announced on social media that he was backing De la Espriella, calling Cepeda a “radical left Marxist.”
The Guardian - Eleven Democratic members of the US Congress sent a letter to the Trump administration arguing that it should examine De la Espriella's ties to the AUC, which was designated a foreign terrorist organization in 2001.
The Guardian - De la Espriella has proposed building private “mega-prisons” in the Amazon and “wiping out” criminals like “cockroaches and rats.”
The Guardian - De la Espriella has led the polls since defeating Cepeda in the first round.
The Guardian - Cepeda filed a criminal complaint against De la Espriella last week, alleging past representation of the AUC and possible recruitment activities.
The Guardian - The presidential runoff vote in Colombia will determine the next leader of the country.
The Guardian - The winner will take office on 7 August.
The Guardian - De la Espriella supports a return to full-scale military confrontation against crime.
The Guardian - Cepeda advocates for a modified continuation of Petro’s “total peace” strategy.
The Guardian - Eleven Democratic members of the US Congress sent a letter to the Trump administration regarding De la Espriella's ties to the AUC.
WHERE:
The Guardian - Colombia
The Guardian - Buga, Valle del Cauca
The Guardian - Bogotá
The Guardian - Manizales
WHEN:
The Guardian - The presidential runoff vote is scheduled for a Sunday.
WHY:
The Guardian - The past year has been the most violent since the 2016 peace agreement, with a surge in armed group attacks, homicides, kidnappings, forced displacement, and massacres.
ABC News - The candidates are tapping into fears of a renewed internal conflict in Colombia.
ABC News - The election comes 10 years after Colombia signed a historic peace pact with guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
The Guardian - The past year has been the most violent since the 2016 peace agreement, with a surge in armed group attacks, homicides, kidnappings, forced displacement, and massacres.
The Guardian - The candidates' strategies reflect the surge in crime and violence in Colombia since the 2016 peace agreement.
The Guardian - De la Espriella's supporters believe in a tougher approach to crime, citing the need for security.
HOW:
The Guardian - De la Espriella has promised to build 10 mega-prisons, emulating the policies of El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele.
ABC News - The lead-up to the runoff has seen an increase in verbal attacks between the candidates, as well as accusations of fraud, vote-buying, and intimidation.
ABC News - Cepeda filed a complaint with the Colombian Attorney General’s Office and the International Criminal Court against de la Espriella, accusing him of having ties to paramilitary groups.
The Guardian - An investigation by La Silla Vacía reported that among the minority shareholders of De la Espriella’s businesses are relatives of convicted paramilitary leader Hugues Rodríguez Fuentes, known as “Comandante Barbie.”
The Guardian - An investigation reported that among the minority shareholders of De la Espriella’s businesses are relatives of convicted paramilitary leader Hugues Rodríguez Fuentes, known as “Comandante Barbie.”
The Guardian - De la Espriella has proposed building private “mega-prisons” in the Amazon.
The Guardian - Cepeda has filed a criminal complaint against De la Espriella, alleging past representation of the AUC and possible recruitment activities.
(UPDATED June 21, 2026 13:28 UTC)
The upcoming presidential runoff will see the winner inherit a country grappling with its worst violence since the 2016 peace agreement, marked by a troubling rise in armed group attacks and homicides. Candidate De la Espriella has proposed a return to full-scale military confrontation against crime and has promised to construct ten mega-prisons, drawing inspiration from the policies of El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele. Meanwhile, eleven Democratic members of Congress have urged the Trump administration to investigate De la Espriella's connections to the AUC, especially in light of reports linking his businesses to relatives of a convicted paramilitary leader.
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(UPDATED June 21, 2026 11:47 UTC)
In Colombia, more than 41 million people are eligible to vote in the upcoming presidential runoff, which marks a decade since the historic peace pact with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. The election has been fueled by fears of a potential resurgence of internal conflict, leading to heightened tensions and accusations of fraud and intimidation between the candidates. Notably, the strategy of "total peace," initiated by President Petro, has only recently seen its first armed group, consisting of about 100 members, surrender their weapons and begin the resettlement process.
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(UPDATED June 21, 2026 10:09 UTC)
In a closely contested election, de la Espriella received 44% of the vote, while Cepeda earned 41%, according to official results. The backdrop of this election is marked by a troubling rise in violence, with authorities reporting 14,780 homicides last year, the highest since at least 2015, largely due to clashes among illegal armed groups that number over 27,000 members. In response to these challenges, de la Espriella has pledged to build 10 mega-prisons, taking inspiration from the policies of El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele, while Cepeda has filed a complaint against him for alleged ties to paramilitary groups.
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(UPDATED June 21, 2026 06:33 UTC)
Trump took to social media to announce his support for De la Espriella, labeling Cepeda a “radical left Marxist.” In response, eleven Democratic members of Congress urged the Trump administration to investigate De la Espriella's connections to the AUC, a group designated as a foreign terrorist organization since 2001. Additionally, reports indicate that minority shareholders in De la Espriella’s businesses include relatives of the convicted paramilitary leader Hugues Rodríguez Fuentes, also known as “Comandante Barbie.”
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(UPDATED June 20, 2026 21:18 UTC)
Abelardo de la Espriella, a far-right admirer of Trump who began his legal career defending paramilitary leaders, has been leading the polls after defeating human rights activist Iván Cepeda in the first round. Cepeda, whose father was assassinated by army officers tied to a paramilitary group, filed a criminal complaint against De la Espriella last week, alleging his past representation of the AUC and possible recruitment activities. This political tension comes amid a year marked by the highest levels of violence since the 2016 peace agreement, with a notable increase in armed group attacks, homicides, and other violent incidents, including ties between De la Espriella's businesses and relatives of a convicted paramilitary leader.
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(UPDATED June 20, 2026 19:21 UTC)
The presidential runoff vote in Colombia will determine the next leader of the country, with the winner set to take office on August 7. Candidates Iván Cepeda and Abelardo de la Espriella present contrasting strategies, as Cepeda supports a continuation of President Gustavo Petro's "total peace" approach, while De la Espriella advocates for a return to military confrontation against crime, even proposing the construction of private "mega-prisons" in the Amazon. Meanwhile, eleven Democratic members of the U.S. Congress have reached out to the Trump administration, expressing concerns over De la Espriella's ties to the United Self-Defence Forces of Colombia.