Latest news with #Corinto
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Four dead as Colombia hit with wave of bombings and gun attacks
Colombia has been rocked by a string of coordinated bomb and gun attacks that killed at least four people across the country's south-west, deepening a security crisis roiling the Andean country. Police said attackers launching 19 attacks on targets in Cali – the country's third largest city – and several nearby towns, hitting police posts, municipal buildings and civilian targets. 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,' he said. 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 Bogotá 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. 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,' she said. Police and experts blamed Tuesday's attacks on a dissident faction of the once-powerful Farc guerrilla group. Security expert Elizabeth Dickenson 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.' Dickenson 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 'Iván Mordisco'. 'They are trying to raise the cost of that military initiative for the government,' said Dickenson. 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 Gustavo Petro's response. Petro has speculated on social media 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 pleaded not guilty to carrying out the attempted assassination. The government believes he was a hired gun.
Al Jazeera
3 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Four killed in wave of bomb, gun attacks across southwest Colombia
Southwest Colombia has been rocked by a series of explosions and gun attacks near police stations that have left at least four people dead, according to police, an apparent coordinated attack that authorities have blamed on rebel groups. The attacks hit Cali – the country's third-largest city – and the nearby towns of Corinto, El Bordo, and Jamundi, targeting police stations and other municipal buildings with car and motorcycle bombs, rifle fire and a suspected drone, the head of police Carlos Fernando Triana told local radio station La FM on Tuesday. The bombings came just days after the attempted assassination of presidential hopeful Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay at a campaign rally in the capital Bogota, allegedly by a 15-year-old hitman, an attack that rattled a nation with a dark past of assassinations. In Corinto, an AFP journalist witnessed the tangled wreckage of a car that had exploded next to a scorched and badly damaged municipal building. 'There are two police officers dead, and a number of members of the public are also dead,' said Triana. Police later said at least two civilians were among those killed, and 12 others were injured. It was not immediately clear who was behind the attacks, but military and police spokespeople blamed the strikes on the FARC-EMC, which is known to operate in the area. The group is led by former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) who broke away from the group after it signed a peace deal with the government in 2016. Triana suggested the attacks may be linked to the third anniversary of the killing of FARC dissident leader Leider Johani Noscue, better known as 'Mayimbu'. The bombings just three days after Uribe's attempted assassination have set Colombia further on edge. Uribe, a member of the opposition conservative Democratic Centre party, underwent successful initial surgery on Sunday. The hospital treating him said on Tuesday that he remained stable but in critical condition. 'We continue to take the necessary actions to mitigate the impact of the injuries,' the Santa Fe Foundation hospital added in a statement. Thousands have taken to the streets in major cities to light candles, pray and voice their anger at the assassination attempt. Authorities say they are investigating who was behind the attack on Uribe. Leftist President Gustavo Petro, who has vowed to bring peace to the country, said on Sunday that he had ordered additional security for opposition leaders in response to more threats. Many Colombians are fearful of a return to the bloody violence of the 1980s and 1990s, when cartel attacks and political assassinations were frequent, sowing terror across the nation. Colombia's government has struggled to contain violence in urban and rural areas as several rebel groups try to take over territory abandoned by the FARC after its peace deal with the government. Peace talks between the FARC-EMC faction and the government broke down last year after a series of attacks on Indigenous communities.
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- South China Morning Post
3 killed as Colombia shaken by wave of deadly explosions amid political unrest
Southwest Colombia was rocked by a string of explosions and gun attacks that left at least three people dead on Tuesday, police said, in what appeared to be a coordinated attack designed to sow terror. The attacks hit Cali – the country's third-largest city – and several nearby towns, targeting police stations and other municipal buildings. The head of police, Carlos Fernando Triana told La FM radio that 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,' he said. It was not immediately clear who was behind the attacks, but guerillas who broke away from the once-powerful Farc militia are known to operate in the area. A man looks at destroyed buildings after a car exploded in front of the City Hall in Corinto, Colombia, on Tuesday. Photo: AFP Triana suggested the attacks may be linked to the third anniversary of the killing of Farc dissident leader Leider Johani Noscue, better known as 'Mayimbu.'
