Friday, 7 August 2026, 0:01
Colombia is facing a dangerous security test days before President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella is sworn in. A truck bomb wounded 11 people near a police station, while police separately intercepted a bus packed with explosives on a major highway.
According to CBS News, a truck packed with explosives detonated Saturday next to a police station near Colombia's border with Venezuela. The blast injured at least 11 people. It came six days before the presidential inauguration.
In a separate operation, Colombia's Ministry of Defense said police intercepted and neutralized a bus fitted with explosives along the Pan-American Highway, a key route connecting the country's southwest. The vehicle had no passengers, the police said.
Images released by police showed seven cylinders packed with explosives inside the bus, followed by a controlled detonation. The vehicle reportedly departed from the department of Cauca and may have been headed to Cali.
Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez said initial investigations point to dissidents of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as FARC, commanded by Néstor Gregorio Vera Fernández, alias Iván Mordisco. Authorities offered a reward of up to 500 million pesos, about $156,800, for information leading to the capture of a suspect identified only as Max Max.
"The security device is working to guarantee the tranquility of Colombians and the safety of the presidential inauguration," Sánchez said on X.
Authorities deployed 11,000 uniformed officers, special operations units, artillery, surveillance, transport and evacuation support, plus air cover. Drone flights were restricted because illegal groups often use drones to drop explosives. The measures are focused on the southwest, especially areas around Cali, where leaders from the region and Spain's King Felipe VI are expected for the inauguration.
Telemundo 33, a Spanish-language television station serving California's Central Valley, carried the story in its "Noticias California" section. The coverage reflects the close attention California's Latino and Colombian communities pay to political instability in Latin America. Although the events took place in Colombia, they resonate with families in California who maintain ties to the region.
The FARC signed a peace agreement with the Colombian state a decade ago, but a splinter faction rejected it and remains active. The group led by Iván Mordisco has become the largest of the dissident forces. President-elect De la Espriella has vowed to step up military campaigns against illegal armed groups and will close the peace negotiation tables opened by outgoing President Gustavo Petro.
The bombing and the foiled explosives shipment show that armed groups still have the capacity to strike despite a heavy security deployment. De la Espriella's promise of a tougher military line will be tested immediately as Colombia works to secure a peaceful transfer of power.
