Colombia president provokes disgust by posing with bodies of ‘terrorists’
Source: Guardian World ↗
Colombian President Abelardo De La Espriella ignited widespread condemnation after he posted a video of himself walking among rows of white body bags that he claimed contained the corpses of 23 “neutralised” guerrillas. The footage, set to a dramatic musical score, was shared on Thursday with a caption asserting his commitment to an “all‑out war” against illegal armed groups and invoking “Christ the king.” De La Espriella framed the operation in the Colombian Amazon as a decisive strike against what he described as a “cancer” of terrorism.
Human‑rights advocates and political opponents denounced the video as a grotesque celebration of death. Left‑wing candidate Iván Cepeda accused the president of treading on the bodies with contempt and lacking humanity, while former president Gustavo Petro labeled the act “turning death into a trophy” and called it soulless. In response, De La Espriella defended his actions, arguing that forgiving terrorists is a divine matter and that sending them to their fate is the president’s duty, thereby reinforcing his hard‑line stance.
The incident reflects a broader trend of performative, right‑wing populism across the Americas, where leaders use graphic, TikTok‑ready content to signal tough security policies. Similar tactics have been employed by El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele with videos of his mega‑prison, and former U.S. President Donald Trump with footage of drug‑boat raids. In Brazil, candidates ahead of the October elections, including Flávio Bolsonaro and Felipe Curi, are promising lethal crackdowns on drug traffickers, even using AI‑generated videos that depict them shooting armed men, underscoring a regional shift toward sensationalized, violent political messaging.
⚡ Effects Interpreter
🌍World Economymedium impact
What this means for you
- ▶Shifts in government policy can ripple into business confidence and investment.
- ▶A change in tone from government can move sentiment well beyond its borders.
🏙️Local Economylow impact
What this means for you
- ▶The cost of a weekly food shop can creep up in the background.
- ▶Everyday spending habits nearby may shift once the news sinks in.
🏦Rates & Bankslow impact
What this means for you
- ▶Savers might see little change until the wider picture becomes clearer.
- ▶Any rate move here is likely to lag the headlines.
❤️Healthmedium impact
What this means for you
- ▶Day-to-day stress can creep up if this starts touching familiar routines.
- ▶Worry has a way of spreading faster than the facts sometimes.
💷Wealthmedium impact
What this means for you
- ▶Steady hands usually come out ahead when this kind of news breaks.
- ▶Keeping perspective on your timeline usually beats reacting to any single story.
🏠Housinglow impact
What this means for you
- ▶Mortgage deals could edge around if lenders read the wider mood.
- ▶A patient seller usually fares better than one rushing to react to headlines.
🌍 Effects for your country
The U.S.'s central bank rate currently stands at 3.75%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The U.S.'s economy is growing at 2.3% with inflation at 3.2%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the U.S.'s own central bank rate closely. With the U.S.'s unemployment at 4.4%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the U.S. depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
The UK's central bank rate currently stands at 3.75%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The UK's economy is growing at 0.8% with inflation at 3.2%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the UK's own central bank rate closely. With the UK's unemployment at 5.6%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the UK depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
France's central bank rate currently stands at 2%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. France's economy is growing at 0.9% with inflation at 1.8%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track France's own central bank rate closely. With France's unemployment at 7.9%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is already under strain. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in France depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
Romania's central bank rate currently stands at 6.5%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. Romania's economy is growing at 0.7% with inflation at 7.8%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track Romania's own central bank rate closely. With Romania's unemployment at 6%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in Romania depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
The UAE's central bank rate currently stands at 3.65%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The UAE's economy is growing at 3.1% with inflation at 2.5%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the UAE's own central bank rate closely. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the UAE depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.