A series of coordinated attacks shook southwest Colombia on Tuesday, resulting in several deaths and injuries. According to authorities, at least three people were killed and 15 injured in the blasts, which targeted the country’s police force. The explosions occurred in Cali, Colombia’s third-largest city, as well as several towns in the departments of Cauca and Valle del Cauca.
Cali’s Mayor Alejandro Eder reported three explosive devices detonated in the city, specifically in the Los Mangos area near the Meléndez police station and at the Manuela Beltrán Immediate Attention Center, a police substation. “They want us to go back to 1989, we won’t allow for it!” Eder exclaimed, referencing a period of intense violence in Colombia. He later confirmed the situation was “under control” and deployed security forces throughout the city.
The Colombian National Army apprehended a driver and two others with a van suspected of being rigged with explosives. Sergio Guzman, founder of Colombia Risk Analysis, noted that these attacks demonstrate how criminal armed organizations are “trying to pressure the government further to make more agreements or concessions to them.”
Dilian Francisca Toro, Governor of Valle del Cauca, urged President Gustavo Petro to convene the country’s Security Council in response to the “current escalation of terrorism.” Colombian Vice-President Francia Márquez Mina condemned the violence, stating, “I categorically reject the wave of violence that has erupted in Cali and northern Cauca at this time. It’s unacceptable to instill fear in the people and then offer security.” She emphasized the need for the government to restore public order and guarantee citizens’ security and peace of mind.
The attacks come days after prominent Colombian politician Miguel Uribe Turbay was shot at a campaign event and remains in critical condition. Authorities have not specified the perpetrators, but the ELN guerrilla group has been linked to similar attacks in the past.