Octavio Guzmán, the governor of the Cauca region, said that the explosive device was detonated last Saturday on the Pan-American Highway, in the El Tunel sector of Cajibio. “As of now, we report 14 people dead and more than 38 injured, including five minors”, Guzman said in a post on X. Guzman condemned what he called an “indiscriminate attack” against the civilian population. “There are not sufficient words for the pain we feel”, Guzman said, demanding a “decisive, sustained” response from the government against the “terrorist escalation”. A video shared by the governor appeared to show the aftermath of the bombing, with ambulances on site and mangled vehicles and debris covering the road. “Cauca cannot continue facing this barbarity alone”, Guzman added, stating that other unspecified “actions” had also been carried out in El Tambo, Caloto, Popayan, Guachene, Mercaderes, and Miranda. General Hugo López, commander of Colombia’s Armed Forces, told a news conference that it was a “terrorist act” and blamed the network of a man known as “Ivan Mordisco”, one of Colombia’s most wanted figures, and the Jaime Martínez faction.

Both are dissidents of the now-defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) armed group, which signed a landmark peace agreement with the government in 2016. Colombian president Gustavo Petro condemned the latest attack, calling the perpetrators “terrorists, fascists, and drug traffickers”. The attack is the latest in a spate of explosions that have attempted to target public infrastructure. At least 26 incidents have taken place in the past two days in southwestern Colombia, which Lopez said have only affected civilians. They included a shooting at a police station in the rural area of Jamundi, and an attack on a Civil Aviation radar facility in El Tambo, where authorities took down three explosives-laden drones earlier on Saturday. No one was hurt. Last Friday, two vehicles rigged with explosives were detonated near military units in Cali and Palmira, causing material damage. The escalation of violence in that region – a territory contested by illegal armed groups linked to drug trafficking – prompted the mobilisation of high-ranking officials last Saturday. Led by Minister of Defence Pedro Sanchez, the delegation that includes regional governors and local authorities, was meeting in Palmira when the deadly explosion occurred. “These criminals seek to instill fear, but we will respond with firmness”, Sanchez said on X.

Meanwhile, Francisca Toro, governor of Valle del Cauca, has called upon the national government to provide “immediate support”. In a message on X, Toro called for a reinforcement of public security forces, enhanced intelligence operations and “decisive actions” against crime in the face of a “terrorist-level escalation”. According to authorities, Cauca and Valle del Cauca serve as a critical hub for illicit activities of illegal armed groups vying for control over sea and river access routes leading to the port of Buenaventura, a key transit point used to traffic drugs to Central America and Europe. The government has also offered a reward of more than $1m for information leading to the capture of “Marlon”, who is identified as the leader of the region’s dissident group. Last Friday, local authorities offered more than $14,000 for information leading to the identification and location of those behind the attacks in Cali and Palmira. (Al Jazeera)