Local media reports a surge in attacks linked to FARC factions as Colombia grapples with a significant security crisis, with multiple casualties and injuries reported across affected regions.
Wave of Violence in Colombia Claims Four Lives Amidst Escalating Conflict
Wave of Violence in Colombia Claims Four Lives Amidst Escalating Conflict
A series of bombings and gunfire strikes south-western Colombia, leaving at least four dead, including police officers.
At least four people have been killed in a surge of bombings and gunfire in south-western Colombia, recent reports from local media indicate. Among the deceased are two police officers, as violence erupted in Cali, the nation's third-largest city, alongside several rural areas.
The attacks, involving car bombs, motorcycle explosives, and rifle fire, have drawn serious concern. The Colombian Ministry of Defence reported a total of 19 separate incidents throughout the region. Some of these attacks have been speculated to be orchestrated by factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a notorious guerrilla group, although these claims have not been independently verified by the BBC.
The violence has targeted police stations, municipal buildings, and innocent civilians, setting off alarm bells as the country faces a mounting security crisis. Although the exact figures regarding the wounded remain unclear, the impact of the attacks has undeniably been severe.
According to a social media statement from the Colombian Ministry of Defence, 12 of the assaults occurred in the Cauca region, while seven took place in Valle del Cauca. Officials described the turmoil as “a desperate reaction by illegal armed groups” in response to significant military and police operations aimed at dismantling their criminal networks.
Mayor of Cali remarked that the city seems to have regressed to 1989, a reference to the peak of drug-related violence and domination by cartels. This wave of chaos follows closely on the heels of an attempted assassination of the presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay in Bogota, where a 15-year-old suspect was taken into custody. The teenager has since denied the charges against him, which include attempted murder and illegal firearm possession, as a judge ordered his detention.
