Colombian president draws condemnation over video of alleged guerrillas’ bodies

Colombian President Abelardo De La Espriella has drawn condemnation from political opponents and human-rights advocates after publishing a video that he said showed the bodies of 23 guerrillas killed in a military operation in the Colombian Amazon.

The footage, posted on September 3, 2026, showed De La Espriella walking among rows of white body bags. The president described those killed as “neutralised” guerrillas and presented the operation as evidence that he was carrying out his pledge to intensify the state’s campaign against illegal armed groups.

Opposition figures accused the president of turning the deaths into a political spectacle. Former president Gustavo Petro and defeated presidential candidate Iván Cepeda were among those who publicly criticised the presentation. The source report did not provide independent identification of the people in the bags or a separate official account establishing the circumstances of each death.

De La Espriella took office in August 2026 after campaigning on a promise of an all-out confrontation with armed groups. The episode is likely to sharpen scrutiny of how the new administration conducts and communicates security operations in a country still contending with guerrilla violence and organised crime.