Colombia Highway Bombing Kills 14, Injures 38 in Southwest Attack

goodinfo.net — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 08:30:00 +0800

Colombia Highway Bombing Kills 14, Injures 38 in Southwest Attack

A deadly highway bombing in southwestern Colombia’s Cauca region killed at least 14 people and injured 38, including five minors, according to regional authorities. The attack on Saturday is the 26th violent incident in the region in just two days.

Cauca Governor Octavio Guzmán announced the casualties on social media platform X, saying the explosive device was detonated on the Pan-American Highway in the El Tunel sector of Cajibio municipality.

“As of now, we report 14 people dead and more than 38 injured, including five minors,” Guzmán said. “There are not sufficient words for the pain we feel.” He condemned what he called an “indiscriminate attack” against civilians and demanded a “decisive, sustained” government response to what he described as a “terrorist escalation.”

Video footage shared by the governor showed ambulances at the scene with mangled vehicles and debris covering the road.

General Hugo López, commander-in-chief of Colombia’s Armed Forces, told a press conference that the bombing was a “terrorist act” carried out by networks linked to a man known as “Ivan Mordisco” and the Jaime Martínez faction — both dissident groups of the now-defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The FARC signed a landmark peace agreement with the Colombian government in 2016, but some members refused to demobilize and have continued armed operations.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro condemned the attack, calling the perpetrators “terrorists, fascists, and drug traffickers.”

The bombing occurred while a high-level government delegation led by Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez was meeting with regional authorities in nearby Palmira to discuss the escalating security crisis. Sanchez said on X: “These criminals seek to instil fear, but we will respond with firmness.”

According to authorities, at least 26 incidents have taken place across Cauca and Valle del Cauca departments in the past 48 hours, including:

A shooting at a police station in rural Jamundi
An attack involving three explosives-laden drones targeting a Civil Aviation radar facility in El Tambo
Two car bombs detonated near military units in Cali and Palmira, causing material damage

Valle del Cauca Governor Francisca Toro called on the national government to provide “immediate support,” requesting reinforcement of public security forces and enhanced intelligence operations in the face of what she described as a “terrorist-level escalation.”

Authorities said the region serves as a critical hub for illicit armed groups competing for control of sea and river routes leading to the port of Buenaventura — a key transit point for drug trafficking to Central America and Europe.

The government has offered a reward exceeding $1 million for information leading to the capture of “Marlon,” identified as the leader of the region’s dissident group.

The violence underscores the persistent security challenges facing Colombia nearly a decade after the 2016 peace agreement. Analysts note that illegal armed groups continue to battle for control of drug trafficking routes and territory, with civilians bearing the brunt of the conflict.

Source: Al Jazeera, Reuters, Associated Press

FARC Dissidents on goodinfo.net Daily

Colombia Highway Bombing Kills 14, Injures 38 in Southwest Attack

Colombia Highway Bombing Kills 14, Injures 38 in Southwest Attack