Authorities in southwestern Colombia reported a car bomb attack at a toll plaza on the Pan-American Highway in the coastal department of Cauca. Two security guards reportedly suffered minor injuries.
The explosion occurred on Saturday, one day after far-right lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella was sworn in as president. Colombia’s military alleged that two armed groups that split from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, carried out the attack.
What happened at the toll plaza
A witness said an individual left a car at the scene before escaping by motorcycle. Authorities said the attack targeted the toll plaza, an installation on the highway linking regions of the country.
The military attributed the bombing to two FARC splinter groups. The FARC disarmed after reaching a peace deal with the Colombian government in 2016, but armed groups and criminal networks remain part of the country’s long-running internal conflict.
How the new government responded
Transportation Minister Elsa Noguera pledged a stern response, saying Colombia would not yield to violence or allow the destruction of infrastructure connecting its regions. She also said the government would seek to recover security, control of its territories and Colombians’ peace of mind.
De la Espriella campaigned on a crackdown against armed groups and said in his inaugural speech that the option of dialogue had been exhausted. He has pledged to end former President Gustavo Petro’s “Total Peace” approach, which centred on dialogue with armed groups, and return to a more militarised strategy.
The security challenge ahead
The new president narrowly defeated leftist Senator Ivan Cepeda in a June runoff in which the candidates were separated by less than 1 percent of the vote. Colombian presidents cannot seek re-election, and de la Espriella has a four-year term to pursue his security programme.
De la Espriella has received support from US President Donald Trump’s administration, which has promised $1bn in security aid. The president’s proposed use of force against boats and planes suspected of carrying illicit drugs has raised concern among rights groups over potential abuses by government forces.
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