As presidential elections approach, Colombia faces return of terrorism
As the country enters a presidential campaign already marked by violence, armed groups are increasing their terrorist acts in retaliation for the authorities' offensives aimed at eradicating their main source of funding: drug trafficking.
In Colombia, the bombs never truly stopped. But after the peace agreement with the FARC guerrillas in 2016, the explosions became so far infrequent that the sound and fury were almost forgotten. This year, they are increasingly making headlines on television news as the country enters a campaign leading up to the 2026 presidential elections, which are already marked by violence.
On Thursday, two bombs launched against an air force base in Cali, the country's third-largest city (in the southwest), killed six people (all civilians) and injured more than 70. The same day, an explosive-laden drone shot down a police helicopter flying over coca fields in the northwest, killing 13 crew members.
The attacks deeply angered President Gustavo Petro, who had promised “total peace.” He declared that dissident FARC factions that refuse to comply with the 2016 peace agreement “will now be considered terrorist organizations that can be prosecuted anywhere in the world,” reports El País América.
It must be said that these are not isolated facts but rather "an increase in violence following the failures of the total peace ceasefires."
Courrier International
