BOGOTA – A bomb attack struck a restive region of southwestern Colombia on April 25, killing seven and injuring more than 20, the governor said, in the latest spate of violence ahead of May’s presidential election.
“An explosive device was detonated” on a road, leaving “seven civilians dead and more than 20 seriously injured,” Cauca Governor Octavio Guzman posted on X, sharing a video of victims on the ground and destroyed vehicles in the aftermath of the bombing.
Other social media posts showed extensive damage and craters in the roadway, with witnesses claiming the blast was so strong that they were knocked back several metres.
Since April 17, several attacks have been reported in Colombia, which authorities blamed on dissidents of the disbanded guerilla group FARC.
FARC remnants who rejected a 2016 peace deal with the government have been active in trying to disrupt stalled peace talks with the current president, leftist Gustavo Petro.
A bomb attack on a military base in Cali on April 24 left two people injured.
The violence raises tensions ahead of the May 31 presidential election, in which security is one of the central issues.
Leftist Senator Ivan Cepeda, an architect of Petro’s controversial policy of negotiating with armed groups, is ahead in polls, trailed by right-wing candidates Abelardo de la Espriella and Paloma Valencia. AFP
