Colombia's President‑elect De La Espriella draws UN warning and legal complaints over peace‑process reforms

Abelardo de La Espriella, president‑elect of Colombia, is set to assume office on 7 August 2026. He announced a sweeping administrative reform that will eliminate the Office of the High Commissioner for Peace, the presidential counselors for peace, reconciliation and human‑rights, and cut about 229 positions, arguing that previous structures fostered a “false peace”. The plan also includes questioning the Jurisdicción Especial para la Paz (JEP) and proposing to replace the peace commissioner with a security commissioner. The United Nations’ Verification Mission issued a security alert, warning that the country faces a “critical moment for the peace process” amid rising armed‑group violence and threats against former combatants and peace‑signatories. The UN Security Council reiterated support for the 2016 peace accord and the JEP, urging the new government to preserve recent gains. Gloria Cuartas, director of the Unit for Implementation of the Final Peace Agreement, filed a criminal complaint against de La Espriella for aggravated harassment, defamation and incitement to crime, citing his public statements calling former FARC leader Rodrigo Londoño a “war criminal” who should be imprisoned for life. The complaint argues that such rhetoric could increase the risk of violence against former combatants and undermine the peace agreement. In foreign policy, de La Espriella’s incoming administration announced a shift toward Israel, agreeing to normalize diplomatic relations, reopen embassies, eliminate visa requirements and withdraw Colombia’s support for South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. He also plans to hold his inauguration in a military garrison in southern Colombia, a symbolic move aimed at the regions most affected by the decades‑long conflict. Opposition figures, including senator Iván Cepeda, have condemned the reforms as a rollback of the peace process, labeling de La Espriella “the biggest enemy of peace”.