Image@ Charlie Cordero/Reuters
Colombia’s incoming president, Abelardo De La Espriella, has announced plans to close the country’s embassies in Ghana, South Africa, Ethiopia and Senegal as part of a sweeping diplomatic overhaul aimed at cutting government spending.
Speaking in a televised address on 26 July, De La Espriella said the closures form the first phase of an effort to streamline Colombia’s global diplomatic network. He argued that the country could no longer justify maintaining an expensive overseas presence that delivers few tangible benefits.
“We cannot maintain such a costly structure that produces no concrete results for the country,” he said.
The African missions are among 14 embassies worldwide set to shut. Colombia will also close its embassies in Algeria, Azerbaijan, Barbados, Cuba, the Czech Republic, Haiti, Hungary, Malaysia, Nicaragua and Romania. Around 15 consulates will also be closed, while a planned diplomatic mission to Palestine, which De La Espriella said never became operational, will be scrapped.
Despite the cuts, the president-elect insisted Colombia is not severing ties with most of the affected countries. He said diplomatic relations would continue through embassies in neighbouring nations, with ambassadors accredited to serve multiple countries.
“I want to be very clear,” he said. “These decisions do not mean breaking diplomatic relations with those countries.”
He made exceptions for Cuba and Nicaragua, saying his administration would have “no ties whatsoever with tyrannies.”
At the same time, De La Espriella confirmed his government will fully restore relations with Israel, reversing former President Gustavo Petro’s 2024 decision to cut diplomatic ties. The new administration plans to move Colombia’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem while expanding trade and security cooperation with Israel.
The incoming government is also expected to open a new embassy in Nigeria, signalling that while Colombia is reducing its diplomatic footprint across much of Africa, it still sees strategic value in strengthening ties with one of the continent’s largest economies.
Beyond the closures, De La Espriella plans to merge diplomatic missions he believes duplicate each other’s work. He cited Colombia’s separate embassies in Paris, which represent both France and UNESCO, as an example of a structure that could be consolidated under a single ambassador. Similar changes are planned for Italy, where Colombia maintains separate representation linked to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization.
A broader review of Colombia’s diplomatic network is expected within the administration’s first 100 days, with savings earmarked for domestic priorities including security, healthcare, education and infrastructure.
De La Espriella, a conservative lawyer-turned-politician elected in June with the backing of US President Donald Trump, will be sworn into office on 7 August. His restructuring reflects a growing trend among Latin American governments seeking to reduce diplomatic costs, though for Ghana, South Africa, Ethiopia and Senegal it means losing Colombia’s direct diplomatic presence for the foreseeable future.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah