Violence escalates in Colombia with dozens of attacks before presidential vote
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — A series of attacks against civilians and military bases Security concerns have increased in Colombia’s southwestern region in the run-up to presidential elections in May, where crime is expected to be one of voters’ top concerns.
According to Colombia’s defense ministry, rebel groups have carried out 26 attacks with explosives and drones since Friday; this includes Saturday’s deadly explosion on the highway between the cities of Cali and Popayan. The number of people killed in the explosion rose to 21 people on Monday.
Violence in the region is nothing new. Illegal groups have been trying to control the region for decades, considering it strategic for illicit activities. illegal mining and drug trafficking, including the cultivation of coca leaves, the raw material for cocaine.
Authorities blamed a group known as: FARC-EMC near a tunnel on the Pan-American Highway for the fatal explosion. The group is led by former member Nestor Vera, known as Iván Mordisco. Revolutionary Armed Forces of ColombiaKnown by its Spanish acronym FARC, it refused to join a 2016 peace deal with the country’s government.
Sergio Guzmán, a political risk analyst in Colombia’s capital Bogota, said Mordisco may seek to show that his group is capable of inflicting serious harm and is trying to “establish his credibility” with Colombia’s next government as he positions himself for future negotiations.
“Part of what they do is create leverage for the future,” Guzmán said.
Under President Gustavo PetroA former member of a guerrilla group, the Colombian government attempted to initiate peace talks with the country’s remaining rebel groups through a strategy known as full peace“
The government has offered ceasefires to various groups in an attempt to advance peace negotiations, but analysts say this strategy has failed because these groups have used the ceasefires to regroup, rearm and strengthen their grip on communities.
Groups such as FARC-EMC are known to collect taxes from those living in areas under their control and also to force young people into their ranks.
“The government’s peace policy was naive,” said Javier Garay, a political science professor at Colombia’s Externado University. “They thought if they showed condescension towards these groups, they would get a positive response.”
FARC-EMC began peace talks with the Colombian government in late 2023. However, a group led by Mordisco abandoned the negotiations in April 2024 and Fighting the Colombian government ever since.
Elizabeth Dickinson, a Colombia analyst at the International Crisis Group, said Mordisco’s group is particularly strong in the states of Cauca and Valle del Cauca, where it is fighting for control of drug trafficking routes and illegal gold mines.
Mordisco’s group has also used drone strikes and car bombs to respond to the Colombian army’s offensive over the past two years. Micay CanyonA remote area covered in coca fields under the control of the FARC-EMC.
Dickinson said the latest attacks in southwestern Colombia were a way to show the group could continue its “asymmetric war” against the government.
Colombia’s defense minister said Sunday that kidnappings and isolation of communities by rebel groups in Cauca have decreased in the past year due to government actions.
But the government’s all-out peace strategy has been criticized by the opposition from candidates who hope to capitalize on the country’s security problems by promising to take a tougher stance on crime.
Petro is prohibited from running for another term by the Colombian constitution. However, his party’s candidate, Iván Cepeda, vowed to continue peace talks with rebel groups.
In his statement to the X channel, Cepeda stated that he rejected the recent attacks in the southwest of Colombia and called on the authorities to investigate whether these attacks were part of an effort to interfere with the election.
“It is worrying that these terrorist acts took place in a region where there is sufficient support for our political project,” Cepeda said.
Voters in Colombia will go to the polls on May 31 to choose among 14 different presidential candidates, including Cepeda and conservatives Abelardo de la Espriella and Paloma Valencia.
While Cepeda supports the continuation of Petro’s “total peace” strategy, his conservative rivals say they favor confronting rebel groups and applying more military pressure on them before resuming peace talks.
Guzmán said this weekend’s attacks “deepened the unease” with the security situation in Colombia. Presidential candidate was murdered last year — both sides will seek to profit from this new wave of violence.
“Government supporters will use the attacks as an opportunity to say that this is exactly why we need to reach urgent agreements with (rebel) groups,” Guzmán said. “Detractors will say this is why we need to attack them more aggressively.”
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