At least 18 people were killed and more than 40 injured in two separate attacks in Colombia on Thursday, which authorities attributed to dissident factions of the former FARC guerrilla movement.
In Cali, Colombia’s third-largest city, a cargo truck packed with explosives detonated near a Colombian Aerospace Force base. The blast killed six people and left 71 others injured, the mayor’s office said. Images from the scene showed heavy damage to nearby buildings and shattered glass scattered across city streets.
Earlier the same day, a National Police Black Hawk UH-60 helicopter was shot down while carrying out coca eradication operations in Amalfi, a rural municipality in Antioquia department. Twelve officers on board were killed, officials confirmed.
President Gustavo Petro condemned the violence, blaming it on armed groups that splintered from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) after the 2016 peace accord. While the landmark deal ended decades of conflict with the main guerrilla force, several dissident factions refused to disarm and remain active in drug trafficking and armed violence.
“These attacks show the persistence of factions that rejected peace and continue to sow terror,” Petro said, vowing to step up operations against the armed groups.
Colombia’s decades-long internal conflict has left more than 450,000 people dead and millions displaced, according to official estimates. The latest attacks highlight the challenges facing Petro’s government as it seeks to advance a policy of “total peace” with armed groups still operating across the country.
Written By Rodney Mbua
