Colombia hit with wave of bombings and gun attacks, leaving at least 4 dead
National Police chief Carlos Fernando Triana said assailants had attacked targets with car bombs, motorcycle bombs, rifle fire and a suspected drone. "There are two police officers dead, and a number of members of the public are also dead."
Police later said at least two civilians were among those killed, and 12 others were injured. In Cali and the towns of Villa Rica, Guachinte and Corinto, AFP journalists witnessed the tangled wreckage of vehicles surrounded by scorched debris. The assaults came days after the attempted assassination of a presidential candidate in Bogota, a brazen attack that has put the country on edge. Many Colombians are fearful of a return to the violence of the 1980s and 1990s, when cartel attacks, guerrilla violence and political assassinations were commonplace.
'Well-coordinated offensive'
In the town of Corinto, resident Luz Amparo was at home when the blast gutted her bakery. "We thought it was an earthquake," she told AFP. "My husband said 'no, they are shooting.'"
Her phone began to ring off the hook, and she went to her check on her store. As she rounded the corner the neighbors began to look in her direction. "Everything was levelled."
Police and experts blamed Tuesday's attacks on a dissident faction of the once-powerful FARC guerrilla group. Security expert Elizabeth Dickinson of the International Crisis Group said the attacks were likely the work of a group known as the Central General Staff (EMC).
"This is a particularly well-coordinated offensive. It really demonstrates the capacity that the group has built" she told AFP. "And I think very alarmingly it demonstrates their ability to conduct operations in the metropolitan area of Cali."
Help us improve Le Monde in English
Dear reader,
We'd love to hear your thoughts on Le Monde in English! Take this quick survey to help us improve it for you.
Dickinson said the group may be trying to stop an ongoing military operation that is reported to have injured or killed the group's veteran leader, known as "Ivan Mordisco." "They are trying to raise the cost of that military initiative for the government."
In a statement on Tuesday, the EMC warned the public to stay away from military and police installations, but stopped short of claiming responsibility. The attacks come three days after conservative senator Miguel Uribe, 39, was shot twice in the head at close range by an alleged hitman while campaigning in Bogota. That attack has stunned Colombians, prompted speculation about who was responsible and raised questions about President Gustavo Petro's response.
Petro has taken to social media to speculate that the hit was ordered by an international "mafia" and to claim that Uribe's security detail was suspiciously reduced the day he was shot.
On Tuesday, a 15-year-old pled "not guilty" to carrying out the attempted assassination. The government believes he was a hired gun.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
LeMonde
2 hours ago
- LeMonde
Top officers hold Ukraine talks after Trump rules out US troops
Top US and European military officers met in Washington on Tuesday, August 19, to discuss the mechanics of a possible Ukraine peace deal, after President Donald Trump ruled out sending American troops to back an agreement but suggested air support instead. In a flurry of diplomacy aimed at ending the war, Trump brought Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders to the White House on Monday, three days after his landmark encounter with Russia's Vladimir Putin in Alaska. But while Trump said Putin had agreed to meet Zelensky and accept some Western security guarantees for Ukraine, those promises have been met with extreme caution by Kyiv and Western capitals, and many details remain vague. As Western leaders push for an agreement, top US officer General Dan Caine held talks Tuesday evening with European military chiefs to discuss "best options for a potential Ukraine peace deal," a US defense official told AFP. The in-person talks precede a virtual meeting of military chiefs from NATO's 32 member countries on Wednesday, in which Caine is also scheduled to participate. Trump, long a fierce critic of the billions of dollars in US support to Ukraine since Russia invaded in 2022, earlier said that European nations were "willing to put people on the ground" to secure any settlement. "France and Germany, a couple of them, UK, they want to have boots on the ground," Trump said in a Fox News interview. "We're willing to help them with things, especially, probably, if you talk about by air." Asked what assurances Trump had that US boots would not be on the ground, he replied: "Well, you have my assurance and I'm president." Allies discuss next steps The White House later doubled down on Trump's statements – but gave few new details on either the summit or the security guarantees. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump "has definitively stated US boots will not be on the ground in Ukraine" and that the use of US air power was an "option and a possibility." Leavitt insisted that Putin had promised Trump he would meet Zelensky, and said top US officials were "coordinating" with Russia on a summit. Trump had dramatically interrupted his meeting with Zelensky and the Europeans at the White House on Monday to call the Russian leader. Allies have expressed doubts that Putin will go through with the meeting, but the Europeans are seizing on the possibility of a peace deal following the Trump talks. French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer brought together around 30 of Ukraine's allies known as the "Coalition of the Willing" for virtual consultations. Starmer told them coalition teams and US officials would meet in the coming days to "prepare for the deployment of a reassurance force if the hostilities ended," a Downing Street spokesperson said. Geneva, Budapest floated for summits Russia has warned that any solution must also protect its own "security interests" and has ruled out Ukraine joining NATO. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov added that any meeting between the leaders "must be prepared very thoroughly." Lavrov's comments, and Putin's offer of Moscow as a summit venue, reinforced European fears that Russia was once again stalling. Macron said he wanted the summit to take place in Geneva, a historic venue for peace talks. Switzerland said it was ready to offer immunity to Putin, who faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court over the war. Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz have both said the summit could take place in two weeks. The White House declined to comment on a Politico report that it was eying Hungary's capital Budapest as a venue for a follow-up three-way summit including Trump.
LeMonde
8 hours ago
- LeMonde
Mali's former prime minister charged with embezzlement after criticizing junta
Mali's civilian ex-prime minister Choguel Kokalla Maiga, who was dismissed in November after criticizing the junta, was charged on Tuesday, August 19, with embezzling public funds and remanded in custody following a hearing before the country's Supreme Court. Plagued by jihadist and separatist violence, Mali has been led by the military since back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021. Maiga is accused of "embezzlement of public funds," his lawyer Cheick Oumar Konare told Agence France-Presse (AFP), adding that no date has yet been set for his trial. "We believe in justice, we are calm while awaiting the trial," Konare said, explaining that Maiga would remain in prison. Eight of his former colleagues from his time as prime minister had also been placed in custody, although his former chief of staff has been released while awaiting trial. Confirming the charge of embezzlement, another judicial source told AFP that Maiga was specifically accused of "damage to public property, forgery, use of false documents." Maiga was arrested one week ago, days after the junta carried out dozens of arrests to quash an alleged plot within the army's ranks to topple the government in turn. "Choguel Maiga says he is calm and believes that a politician should expect anything, including prison and death," his lawyer Konare said in a statement. Ramped up repression His sacking in November 2024 appeared at the time to confirm that the army, which went back on a pledge to hand the reins back to civilians by the end of March 2024, had tightened its grip on power. Having been named to the post following the second coup in 2021, Maiga was fired after he publicly condemned the lack of clarity regarding when the military would give up power in the West African country. Mali's junta replaced the civilian prime minister with General Abdoulaye Maiga, who had previously served as government spokesman in the West African country. Impoverished Mali has been gripped by a security crisis since 2012, fuelled notably by violence from groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State jihadist group, as well as local criminal gangs. The junta, led by President Assimi Goita, has turned away from Western partners, notably former colonial power France, to align itself politically and militarily with Russia. The regular army and its Russian allies are frequently accused of committing atrocities against civilians, with the junta ramping up repression of its critics in the face of widespread jihadist unrest. Witnesses recount horrific conditions inside the Wagner Group's secret detention centers in Mali "They beat me on the head until I passed out. I lost a lot of blood," recounted Nawma, a Malian survivor tortured by Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group. On July 31, 2024, this Fulani shopkeeper was arrested by auxiliaries of the Malian army in the village of Toulé, in central Mali. He was taken to the Nampala military camp, about 15 kilometers away. There, the interrogations began, involving torture and humiliation. This testimony is one of many collected by Le Monde, Forbidden Stories and media partners. Our investigation revealed the existence of at least six bases where Russian mercenaries secretly imprisoned Malians, often arrested arbitrarily. Read more Subscribers only Russian Wagner group fighters secretly detained and tortured civilians in Mali In July, a bill passed by the military-appointed legislative body granted Goita a five-year presidential mandate, renewable "as many times as necessary" and without elections. Le Monde with AFP Reuse this content
France 24
9 hours ago
- France 24
Former Mali PM Choguel Kokalla Maiga charged with embezzlement, imprisoned
Plagued by jihadist and separatist violence, Mali has been led by the military since back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021. Maiga is accused of "embezzlement of public funds" his lawyer Cheick Oumar Konare told AFP, adding that no date has yet been set for his trial. "We believe in justice, we are calm while awaiting the trial," Konare said, explaining that Maiga would remain in prison. Eight of his former colleagues from his time as prime minister had also been placed in custody, although his former chief of staff has been released while awaiting trial. Confirming the charge of embezzlement, another judicial source told AFP that Maiga was specifically accused of "damage to public property, forgery, use of false documents". Maiga was arrested one week ago, days after the junta carried out dozens of arrests to quash an alleged plot within the army's ranks to topple the government in turn. "Choguel Maiga says he is calm and believes that a politician should expect anything, including prison and death," his lawyer Konare said in a statement. Ramped up repression His sacking in November 2024 appeared at the time to confirm that the army, which went back on a pledge to hand the reins back to civilians by the end of March 2024, had tightened its grip on power. Having been named to the post following the second coup in 2021, Maiga was fired after he publicly condemned the lack of clarity over when the military would give up power in the West African country. Mali's junta replaced the civilian prime minister with General Abdoulaye Maiga, who had previously served as government spokesman in the West African country. Impoverished Mali has been gripped by a security crisis since 2012, fuelled notably by violence from groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State jihadist group, as well as local criminal gangs. The junta, led by President Assimi Goita, has turned away from Western partners, notably former colonial power France, to align itself politically and militarily with Russia. The regular army and its Russian allies are frequently accused of committing atrocities against civilians, with the junta ramping up repression of its critics in the face of widespread jihadist unrest. In July, a bill passed by the military-appointed legislative body granted Goita a five-year presidential mandate, renewable "as many times as necessary" and without elections.
