Bomb attacks hit Colombia

Colombia was the target on Friday (23) of a series of terrorist attacks with grenades, a car bomb and rifles that hit different cities in the western region of the country and reignited fears of a new wave of violence a month before the in-person elections. The attacks hit the cities of Cali and Palmira and a military base in the region. AFP journalists in the region saw a bus on fire a few meters from the military post, soldiers around it and blocked streets, with a strong police presence. The attack left two people injured, according to the Army and the Prosecutor’s Office in a new report that added another injured person. Five cylinders were launched from the bus parked in front of the enclosure and then there was an explosion that caused damage to the structure of the military unit, an Army source told AFP. Security camera videos released by the local press show the moment of the strong explosion on a very busy street. Army specialists detonated in a controlled manner several cylinders that did not explode. The military preliminarily attributed the attack to dissidents from the extinct FARC guerrillas, who broke the 2016 peace agreement and are currently fueling violence amid the paralyzed peace negotiations with the government of leftist Gustavo Petro. We will take “intelligence, reinforcement of personnel and possible meetings” measures in Cali, said the Minister of the Interior, Armando Benedetti, in a video shared on X. This is the second attack in less than a year against a military base in Cali, the third most populous city in Colombia. The attack takes place just over a month before the election, in which public security is one of the central themes and the main candidates denounce threats. Cali, in Valle del Cauca, has been a frequent target of armed groups vying for control of drug trafficking towards the Pacific Ocean. Kidnappings and extortion against the population are frequent. A series of bloody attacks on security forces in the region left civilians dead last year and marked the worst wave of violence in the last decade. In April 2024, a similar attack by FARC dissidents against the same military base in Cali caused damage to the homes of soldiers and civilians, leaving no victims. Petro tried unsuccessfully to negotiate peace with the largest armed organizations after coming to power in 2022. His political heir, senator Iván Cepeda, is the favorite for the next election, according to polls, which project a second round in June. lv/als/mel/aa/lm/ic/am

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