Bogotá (AFP) – An attack with explosives near a military base in western Colombia killed four people, including a two-month-old baby, amid the country's worst wave of violence in a decade, the local governor reported.
First modification: 11/02/2026 - 09:55 Last modification: 11/02/2026 - 15:42
Since coming to power in August, right-wing president Abelardo de la Espriella has promoted an offensive against guerrilla camps that have already left dozens dead, including at least eight minors.
At the same time, armed groups have continued attacks with explosives in different areas of the country and murders, including that of a candidate for mayor.
The last attack occurred on Sunday night in the municipality of Planadas, in the south of the department of Tolima, around a military base.
A truck loaded with explosives exploded and damaged part of the infrastructure of a hospital and several homes, reported the mayor of Planadas, Juan Camilo Hueje. The streets were covered in rubble.
In a video you can see a woman screaming in despair, while a man pulls a small body wrapped in a blanket from the rubble.
Hueje told a local radio station that there are "multiple injured people," who were sent to a school in the area to receive medical attention. In other images, people appear bloodied and lying in the middle of stone blocks.
It was "a vile and criminal act that we reject with absolute force," he wrote in X Matiz. "Attacking against the civilian population, against our soldiers and the families of Tolima is crossing a line that we will not tolerate," he added.
For now the authorities have not reported who was responsible for the attack.
According to Hueje, in addition to the truck with explosives, drones were also seen "flying over" the urban area of Planadas. These devices are increasingly used by illegal armed groups in Colombia.
On Friday, De la Espriella ordered the militarization of Cúcuta, the main city on the border with Venezuela due to an increase in attacks.
In September, it deployed military forces in the tourist town of Santa Marta after a wave of attacks on businesses and vehicles unleashed by a drug trafficking gang.
© 2026 AFP
The content you requested does not exist or is no longer available.
