At least 14 people were killed and more than 38 others were injured on Saturday when an explosive device detonated on the Pan-American Highway in the El Tunel sector of Cajibio, in southwestern Colombia. Octavio Guzmán said five of the wounded were minors.
Guzmán described the blast as an indiscriminate attack against civilians. “As of now, we report 14 people dead and more than 38 injured, including five minors,” he said, adding that there were “not sufficient words for the pain we feel” after what he called a “terrorist escalation” in Cauca.
The bombing came after a violent two-day stretch in the region that left at least 26 incidents across southwestern Colombia. On Friday, two vehicles rigged with explosives were detonated near military units in Cali and Palmira, causing material damage, and earlier on Saturday authorities took down three explosives-laden drones in El Tambo. The same day, officials also reported a shooting at a police station in the rural area of Jamundi and an attack on a Civil Aviation radar facility in El Tambo.
General Hugo López called the highway bombing a “terrorist act” and blamed the network of a man known as Ivan Mordisco and the Jaime Martínez faction. President Gustavo Petro condemned those behind the attacks as “terrorists, fascists, and drug traffickers.”
The violence is unfolding in Cauca, a territory long contested by illegal armed groups linked to drug trafficking, where public infrastructure has been hit repeatedly in recent days. López said the attacks have only affected civilians, underscoring how the violence has spread beyond military targets and into ordinary life on the highway.
Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez was in Palmira with a delegation when the deadly explosion occurred, and he said, “These criminals seek to instil fear, but we will respond with firmness.” The region has been under pressure for days, and the scale of the attacks points to a coordinated campaign that authorities are now treating as part of a wider escalation.