Bombings overshadow first day for new Colombian president

Colombia's new right-wing President Abelardo de la Espriella faced immediate challenges as two bombing attacks marred his first day in office, claiming the life of a police officer and injuring several others. The violence erupted just days after his inauguration, testing his administration's resolve.

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attacking the country's infrastructure is attacking progress

In the early hours of Sunday, FARC guerrilla dissidents, operating under the command of Ivan Morodisco, detonated explosives to destroy a highway tollbooth near Cali. Two security guards sustained minor injuries in the attack on the Pan-American highway in the Santander de Quilichao municipality. This region is known to be under the influence of Mr. Morodisco, who leads factions that broke away from the 2016 peace agreement.

Approximately 1,000 kilometers away, in the northern department of Cesar, a police officer was killed when an explosive-laden drone targeted a police station. Authorities have not yet identified suspects in this incident, but President de la Espriella has pledged that those responsible "will not go unpunished."

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To those responsible, I send a clear message: there will be no refuge, no leniency and no impunity.

President de la Espriella, who openly admires figures like Donald Trump and Nayib Bukele, campaigned on a platform of confronting "narcoterrorism without truce" and ending peace talks with armed groups. His confrontational approach now faces significant opposition from guerrilla groups and drug traffickers who continue to operate in the country. The president has promised to implement strict security measures, including the construction of "mega-prisons," and to intensify military operations against these groups, with stated support from the United States and Israel. His inauguration occurs amidst the most severe wave of violence Colombia has experienced in the past decade, a decade after landmark peace accords were signed.

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will not go unpunished