Bogotá (AFP) – The Colombian government announced this Sunday that it will reinforce the security of some media outlets after an attack threat attributed to the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla.
First modification: 11/09/2026 - 15:45
The country's largest television network, Caracol, evacuated staff from its facilities in Bogotá on Saturday night after receiving the alert from the authorities. The RCN network also received the notice, the Prosecutor's Office told AFP.
"I have given precise instructions so that all the capacity of the State is devoted to protecting these media outlets," wrote President Abelardo de la Espriella in X, who attributed the threat to the ELN.
Videos shared on networks show a helicopter flying over the Caracol headquarters after the alert.
"Reporting with rigor, independence and responsibility is an essential part of our contribution to democracy and the construction of the country we want. No threat will separate us from that commitment," Caracol wrote on its website.
The Ombudsman's Office, the entity in charge of ensuring human rights in the country, asked to clarify the facts and guarantee freedom of the press.
The right-wing president also ordered increased protection for Semana magazine, a conservative outlet that did not receive an attack threat.
The media maintains a tense relationship with the government, which centralizes all its communications in the presidency by order of De la Espriella.
Violence against journalists at the hands of illegal groups is a historical wound in Colombia, which has been experiencing an armed conflict for half a century. They are frequent victims of threats, harassment and kidnappings.
The late cocaine baron Pablo Escobar ordered the kidnapping and murder of dozens in his campaign of terror in the 1980s and 1990s.
At least 171 news professionals have been murdered since 1977, according to the Freedom of the Press Foundation.
© 2026 AFP
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