CAJIBÍO – A roadside bomb on the Pan-American Highway in southwestern Colombia killed at least 14 people and wounded 38 others, including five children, as part of a broader surge in regional violence.
The explosion in the El Túnel sector of Cajibío is the center of what Colombian officials describe as a “wave” of terror attacks that struck the country over the weekend.
The blast occurred in an indiscriminate attack targeting the civilian population, according to Cauca Governor Octavio Guzmán.
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</div>Social media footage from the scene showed a deep crater in the center of the highway, surrounded by the wreckage of cars, trucks, and buses covered in debris.
“We are facing a terrorist escalation that demands immediate responses,” Guzmán said, calling on national authorities to urgently guarantee security and protect communities along the strategic road corridor.
Coordinated Regional Attacks
The bombing was not an isolated event. General Commander of Military Forces of Colombia Hugo Alejandro López Barreto confirmed a series of violent incidents across the Cauca and Valle del Cauca departments, many of them aimed at key transport routes and populated centers.
According to López Barreto, 26 terrorist actions occurred over a two-day period, impacting the civilian population and local security forces.
Violent incidents were reported in the following areas:
- El Túnel
- El Tambo
- Caloto
- Popayán
- Guachené
- Mercaderes
- Miranda
López Barreto stated that this surge is a direct response to the “sustained pressure” the Colombian government has applied against the criminal operations of these groups, including intensified military patrols and operations under Colombia’s internal security framework.
Authorities warned that the attacks have disrupted mobility on the Pan-American Highway – a vital commercial artery linking southwestern Colombia with the rest of the country – complicating emergency response, trade and the delivery of public services to rural communities.
FARC Dissidents and the Insurgency
Colombia’s Armed Forces have attributed the highway bombing and the wider wave of attacks to dissident factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
These factions are led by Néstor Gregorio Vera Fernández, known by the nom de guerre “Iván Mordisco,” whose structures rejected the state’s demobilization and reintegration programs.
The FARC originally disbanded following a 2016 peace agreement that ended more than 50 years of war. That conflict resulted in over 220,000 deaths and the displacement of approximately 5 million people, and the accord was incorporated into Colombia’s constitutional and legal order through the Special Jurisdiction for Peace, a transitional justice system designed to prosecute grave abuses and provide reparations to victims.
While the majority of the group laid down its arms, certain members refused to participate in the peace process. These dissidents have continued a low-level insurgency in rural regions, often engaging in internal conflict among various splinter groups and financing themselves through drug trafficking, illegal mining and extortion, according to Colombian officials.
Government and Diplomatic Response
President Gustavo Petro responded to the attacks by calling for “the maximum worldwide pursuit against this narco-terrorist group,” signaling an appeal for international law enforcement and intelligence cooperation.
In a post on X, Petro described those responsible for the attacks in Cajibío – many of the victims of whom were indigenous – as “terrorists, fascists, and drug traffickers,” and framed the bombing as an assault on Colombia’s peace process and on vulnerable rural communities.
While local authorities report at least 14 deaths and 38 wounded, President Petro specifically cited the killing of seven civilians and the wounding of 17 others in Cajibío, underscoring that the final toll may evolve as national agencies consolidate information from hospitals and emergency services.
The escalation follows a diplomatic mission by President Petro to Venezuela. Alongside Colombia’s top military leadership, Petro met with acting President Delcy Rodríguez to coordinate efforts to combat criminal groups along the 1,370-mile shared border, a region that has long served as a corridor for armed organizations and narcotrafficking networks.
The government has also linked its response to broader domestic reforms, including Petro’s “total peace” policy, which seeks to negotiate or dismantle multiple armed and criminal groups simultaneously while strengthening state presence in historically neglected areas.
Minister of Defense Pedro Sánchez visited the blast site in Cajibío to coordinate rescue and stabilization efforts and to review the security posture on the highway. Local authorities have confirmed the initiation of a national-level security council to address the situation, bringing together senior civilian, military and police leaders to assess whether additional emergency measures or adjustments to current security operations are needed.
Humanitarian teams from the Colombian Red Cross and other relief organizations remained in the area to assist survivors and support evacuations on Sunday, as residents braced for the possibility of further attacks amid an already fragile security environment.
