BOGOTA.– The head of the Southern Command of USAFrancis Donovan, reported that he will forge with Colombia a united front to neutralize and end network operations dedicated to drug trafficking that represent a threat to the security of the two countries and shared sovereignty.
The American general made his announcement at the conclusion of his three-day visit to Colombia, following the inauguration of Abelardo de la Espriella as president on August 7.
“The dedication of the Colombian forces we were with this week is unmatched. By forging a unified front, we will dismantle narcoterrorist operations, dismantle their leadership and eliminate their violent networks that threaten our shared security and sovereignty,” Donovan said on the Southcom X account.
Donovan’s visit is the first by a senior official of the Trump administration in the context in which the US and Colombian governments seek to strengthen the security relationship, after the US estrangement with former president Gustavo Petro (2022-2026).
Front against drug trafficking
The senior US official visited the Tolemaida Military Fort, the largest in the country, located in the department of Tolima (center), to learn “first-hand the capabilities of the Army Aviation,” according to what he said on his last day in Colombia, which shares a border with Venezuela.
Also the commander of the Colombian Military Forces, General Erik Rodríguez, emphasized the priority need to unite capabilities against the criminal violence of the cartels that operate in border areas and in the Caribbean.
“Strengthening and recovering these capabilities is a priority to guarantee a Force with greater mobility, reach and response. We continue working in a monolithic manner for the security of Colombia,” he expressed.
Donovan also met with the Minister of Defense of Colombia, Jorge Eduardo Mora, in Tumaco, an area bordering Ecuador, to strengthen bilateral cooperation against drug trafficking and organized crime in that strategic region of the Pacific.
Security Coalition
The meeting was preceded by a meeting in the department of Nariño (southwest) one day after Donovan’s arrival in Bogotá, where he also met with the new military leadership of De la Espriella.
Colombia recently joined the Coalition of the Americas Against Cartels (A3C), an initiative promoted by the United States to articulate regional efforts against drug trafficking and transnational organized crime and which other countries in the region have joined.
Donovan highlighted that “the Coalition of the Americas Against Cartels and the Western Hemisphere Joint Task Force are advancing with unprecedented speed and determination.”
