Filming amongst body bags: New Colombian president’s comms campaign sparks backlash

On September 2, Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella – who took office in early August – published a video where he appears in a room filled with 23 body bags. In the video, De la Espriella discusses the result of an operation carried out against a dissident faction from the former guerrilla group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC): "In total [...]: 23 terrorists killed. [...] Our determination to finish with you – you who are like cancer – is absolute!” The video has garnered nearly half a million views since it was posted. This is a screengrab of a video posted online by Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella on October 25, 2026. The video shows him walking amongst bodies after an operation carried out by the security forces during which they killed ten people, who they claimed were members of the ELN guerrilla group. © Abdelaespriella via X Two days later, the head of state published another similar video. In this one, there are four body bags visible in front of him as he applauds the death of “one of the country’s most dangerous criminals” – a leader of paramilitary group, Conquering Self-Defence Forces of the Sierra Nevada (ACSN). "[Criminals] wh...