A car bomb exploded Saturday at a toll plaza on the Pan-American Highway in southwestern Colombia, killing no one but injuring two security guards and damaging nearby homes. The attack came less than 24 hours after Abelardo de la Espriella, a 48-year-old lawyer and businessperson with no previous political experience, was sworn in as president.
Dissident groups blamed
The Colombian army attributed the bombing to two dissident factions of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as FARC. Both groups rejected the 2016 peace accord that ended more than five decades of conflict. According to army statements, the driver abandoned the vehicle and fled on a motorcycle moments before the blast. The explosion shattered windows in houses metres from the toll plaza. Elizabeth Zapata, 57, told reporters the blast wave lifted her family out of bed. Her relatives, including several children, were treated for glass shards embedded in their backs.
The affected stretch of highway connects the departments of Cauca and Valle del Cauca, whose capital Cali hosted Friday's inauguration ceremony. Cauca Governor Jorge Octavio Guzmán described the attack as part of a systematic campaign to isolate his department and retain control over vast rural territories. "This is not an isolated incident; it is systematic," he said.
Prison transfers signal hard line
Hours after the bombing, the new administration announced the transfer of 117 inmates linked to the previous government's peace negotiations to eight maximum-security prisons. The corrections agency said the move aims to regain permanent control of the prison system and prevent criminal organizations from coordinating illicit activities from behind bars. De la Espriella has rejected the dialogue with armed groups pursued by his predecessor, Gustavo Petro.
De la Espriella narrowly defeated Iván Cepeda, a progressive senator and Petro ally, in a June runoff election marked by deep polarization. Petro has refused to acknowledge the result, alleging fraud despite the electoral authority's official declaration and positive assessments from international observers. In his inaugural address, the new president warned illegal groups they face two paths: submit to the rule of law or confront the security forces.
Transportation Minister Elsa Noguera condemned the bombing and said crews were working to restore traffic on the vital corridor. "Colombia will not kneel before violence, nor will it allow the destruction of the infrastructure that connects our regions," she wrote on social media. Army units with trained dogs continued searching the area for additional explosive devices on Saturday afternoon.
Based on reporting by Global News.