Colombia rocked by bombings, shootings in southwest: 7 killed, 28 injured; fears rise of return to 90s-style guerrilla violence
A wave of 24 coordinated bombings and gun attacks killed at least 7 people and injured 28 others in southwestern Colombia on Tuesday, as authorities blamed dissident guerrilla fighters for what security experts are calling a 'well-coordinated offensive.
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Police posts, municipal buildings, and civilian areas in Cali — Colombia's third-largest city — and nearby towns including Villa Rica, Guachinte, and Corinto were targeted using car bombs, motorcycle bombs, drones, and gunfire. Charred vehicles and debris littered the streets, with AFP journalists reporting extensive damage to infrastructure.
'There are two police officers dead, and a number of members of the public are also dead,' National Police chief Carlos Fernando Triana said.
Later updates confirmed seven fatalities and nearly 30 injured.
The assault comes just days after an attempted assassination of conservative senator and presidential candidate Miguel Uribe in Bogotá. The high-profile attack, involving a teenage gunman, has already heightened fears of a return to Colombia's violent past marked by guerrilla warfare, cartel bombings, and political killings.
In Corinto, resident Luz Amparo described the chaos after a blast destroyed her family bakery.
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'We thought it was an earthquake,' she told AFP, recalling how her husband quickly realised they were under attack. 'Everything was leveled.'
Security analysts and police suspect the attacks were carried out by the Central General Staff (EMC), a breakaway faction of the once-dominant FARC rebel group. 'This is a particularly well-coordinated offensive,' said Elizabeth Dickinson of the International Crisis Group.
'It really demonstrates the capacity that the group has built... and their ability to conduct operations in the metropolitan area of Cali.
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Dickinson suggested the attacks may be retaliation for an ongoing military operation that reportedly wounded or killed EMC's elusive leader, 'Iván Mordisco.' In a statement, EMC warned civilians to avoid military and police facilities but did not claim responsibility.
President Gustavo Petro, whose peace overtures to armed groups including the EMC have repeatedly failed, faces mounting criticism over security lapses. Following the attempt on Uribe's life — in which the senator was shot twice in the head — Petro speculated on social media that an international 'mafia' may have orchestrated the hit, and questioned why Uribe's security was scaled back before the incident.
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