A bomb attack on a highway in southwestern Colombia has killed at least 19 people, with authorities blaming a drug lord who was once part of the FARC guerrilla group.
At least 38 people, including five children, were injured in the attack on Saturday, a month before the country’s presidential elections.
what do we know?
The explosion occurred on the Pan-American Highway in the municipality of Cajibío, Cauca province.
According to local media reports, an explosive cylinder fell on a minibus and exploded.
Governor Octavio Guzmán called the incident a “tragedy” and warned of a “terrorist surge.”
Visuals shared by Guzmán on Twitter showed extensive damage to several vehicles.
Some cars were overturned due to the intensity of the explosion.
Another image shows a large crater left on the highway after the attack.
Who is behind the attack?
President Gustavo Petro has blamed Ivan Mordisco, one of Colombia’s most wanted criminals, for the attack, whom the leftist leader has compared to late drug lord Pablo Escobar.
He called those responsible “terrorists, fascists and drug traffickers”.
MORDISCO is a dissident of the now defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) operating in the region. He opted out of the peace agreement the FARC signed with the state in 2016.
Southwest Colombia sees increase in attacks ahead of elections
Saturday’s attack is the latest in a series of blasts targeting public infrastructure.
According to Hugo López, commander of the Armed Forces of Colombia, at least 26 incidents have occurred in the past two days in the Valle del Cauca and Cauca departments and have affected only civilians.
The incidents led to the dispatch of high-ranking officials to the area, including Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez.
Sanchez was leading a delegation to Cali to assess the situation in Valle del Cauca after two attacks were reported on Friday when Saturday’s blast occurred.
These attacks took place before the presidential elections to be held on May 31. Security is one of the central issues of the election campaign.
Presidential candidate Paloma Valencia, who is from the opposition right-wing Democratic Center party and is from Cauca, has called for immediate action against the violence.
“The government of President Gustavo Petro cannot continue to stoke violence or dismantle the state,” he said.
“We demand immediate action, full support for our armed forces and police, and concrete results.”
Edited by: Shawn Sinico