Two deadly bomb attacks rock Colombia

BarcelonaColombia was rocked by two attacks targeting a police helicopter and an airbase, leaving at least 18 dead and dozens injured. They targeted one of the main FARC dissident groups, the Central General Staff (EMC), as a possible perpetrator of the attacks.

The first attack occurred in El Chispero, a rural area of Amalfi, in the department of Antioquia, where twelve anti-narcotics police officers were killed after an attack on the helicopter in which they were traveling for an operation to eradicate illicit crops.

Hours later in Cali, capital of the department of Valle del Cauca and the third most populous city in Colombia, a truck loaded with explosives was detonated near the Marco Fidel Suárez Military Aviation School, where members of the Colombian Air Force are trained. This second attack has left six dead and 65 injured, all of them civilians who were passing by.

The explosion caused enormous destruction on a busy avenue lined with businesses in Cali, where the airbase targeted by the attack is located. Authorities confirmed the arrest of a man allegedly part of the FARC dissidents.

Petro claimed responsibility for the attack on the police helicopter in the EMC and, following the attack in Cali, said he will declare this group a terrorist organization, like the Second Marquetalia, also a dissident group of the defunct FARC, and the Gulf Clan, the country's main criminal gang. "They must be considered terrorist organizations that can be pursued anywhere on the planet," the president stressed.

"Colombia deserves to live in peace. What happened today in Cali at the Marco Fidel Suárez air base is a cowardly and criminal act that we absolutely reject," added Vice President Francia Márquez.

Government Measures

Petro, widely criticized for the rise in violence in the country, has traveled to Cali with the military and police leadership and is preparing a decree to declare a "state of internal unrest." This is an exceptional measure to address serious disturbances of public order that jeopardize state security and citizen coexistence.

"This attack constitutes a direct attack on human life and dignity and a clear violation of international humanitarian law, which absolutely prohibits attacks against civilians," said Ombudsman Iris Marín. Regarding the attack on the police helicopter, Marín noted that Amalfi is among the municipalities in Antioquia that have been a source of concern for years due to the presence of various armed groups linked to drug trafficking and smuggling. These groups include the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group, dissident factions of the FARC, and the Gulf Clan.

Reactions

In the face of worsening security in the country, various political sectors have demanded that the government take decisive action against illegal armed groups. Former President Iván Duque has said that "Colombia can never allow terrorism to return." "Today, more than ever, we need the presence of authority and a government that is not permissive toward violence," Duque added.

His predecessor, Juan Manuel Santos, has warned that it is "urgent to implement an effective security policy" and has emphasized that the armed forces "need leadership, budget, and support."

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Colombia has also spoken out to condemn the "indiscriminate attack" in Cali: "We call on the state to assist the victims and advance the relevant searches to clarify the facts and guarantee