More than 30 attacks in southwestern Colombia killed 21 people and wounded 56 others over the weekend, occurring weeks before the May 31 presidential election.
4:06 PM
A series of explosive attacks across southwestern Colombia over the weekend has intensified concerns about security in the country as it prepares for presidential elections scheduled for May 31.
The deadliest attack occurred Saturday on a roadway in Cauca department, where a bomb detonation killed at least 21 civilians and wounded more than 50 others, according to the Defense Ministry's latest count. Authorities attributed the attack to dissident factions of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as FARC, which rejected the 2016 peace agreement.
In total, more than 30 attacks were carried out between Friday and Saturday in the departments of Cauca and Valle del Cauca. The violence has shifted the presidential campaign into a debate centered on national security guarantees.
The Cauca region has experienced longstanding conflict as illegal armed groups have sought to control the area for decades, viewing it as strategically valuable for illicit activities including illegal mining and drug trafficking. The region contains coca leaf crops, the raw material for cocaine production.
Paloma Valencia, a presidential candidate from the right-wing Centro Democrático party, stated Monday that dissident FARC factions were plotting to assassinate her. President Gustavo Petro, the country's first center-left president, and Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez dismissed the claim.
In recent interviews with Colombian media outlets El Espectador and Caracol Radio, Sánchez said authorities continue to guarantee full security conditions for the presidential election despite the weekend violence. The defense minister announced the deployment of 25,000 security personnel to southwestern Colombia.
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