Death toll in Colombia highway bus bomb attack rises to 20

A Saturday bombing on a highway in Colombia left 20 fatalities and 36 others wounded, including children. Footage from the site displayed wreckage and scattered debris along the Pan-American Highway in the southern Cauca region. Colombian President Gustavo Petro attributed the attack to rebels connected to splinter groups of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc). Local governor Octavio Guzman labeled it the most severe assault on civilians in years.

Political Responses and Context

“Those who carried out this attack… are terrorists, fascists and drug traffickers,” Petro stated on X. “I want our very best soldiers to confront them,” he added.

Guzman shared a video on X showing overturned vehicles and craters along the highway, calling the bombing “indiscriminate.” He emphasized, “Cauca cannot continue to face this barbarity alone.” On Sunday, he revealed the attack resulted in 15 women and five men losing their lives, with a crater spanning 200 metres.

Witnesses reported to AFP that the explosion’s force pushed people back several metres. Since Friday, the region has seen a series of smaller attacks, including one targeting a military base in Cali that injured two individuals. Defence Minister Pedro Arnulfo Sánchez mentioned a bus packed with explosives failed to detonate earlier in the day, carried out by members of a drug-trafficking cartel.

Peace Efforts and Electoral Climate

Colombia’s presidential elections are approaching on 31 May. Petro, a former guerrilla fighter, has advocated a contentious peace approach with various armed groups, marked by sporadic ceasefires and reduced violence. His tenure concludes later this year. Multiple Farc offshoots, now active as dissidents, operate across the country, deeply involved in drug trafficking. Petro’s government has yet to secure peace discussions with these factions.

Left-wing candidate Ivan Cepeda, backed by Petro, urges further negotiations with rebels. Meanwhile, opposition right-wing figures Paloma Valencia and Abelardo De la Espriella pledged to intensify efforts against insurgents. The recent incidents underscore ongoing tensions as the nation prepares for the election.