An attack with a cylinder loaded with explosives shook a conflictive region in southwestern Colombia on Saturday, April 25, causing the death of 19 people and more than 30 injured, according to official sources. This is a new case of violence prior to the presidential elections.

First modification: 04/25/2026 - 22:13 Last modification: 04/26/2026 - 17:18

At least 19 people died and more than 30 were injured this Saturday, April 25, in a terrorist attack that destroyed a section of the Pan-American Highway and several vehicles that were traveling on that highway in the department of Cauca, in southwestern Colombia, authorities reported.

The attack was perpetrated in an area called El Túnel, in the municipality of Cajibío, where alleged guerrillas threw a cylinder loaded with explosives that fell on a bus that was circulating in that sector.

The wave caused by the explosion also destroyed other vehicles and left a huge crater in the road, which is why traffic was interrupted in that area. In the first report on Saturday, the initial death toll was known: 14 people, which rose to 19 on Sunday.

"So far, we have reported 14 dead people and more than 38 injured people, including 5 minors, we continue to attend to the situation. We express our solidarity with their families; this is a tragedy that deeply mourns and fills our people with pain," said the governor of Cauca, Octavio Guzmán, on his X account.

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The governor described what happened as "a tragedy that tears us apart as a department and deeply mourns our families."

"We strongly reject and with deep concern the terrorist events that occurred in the tunnel sector, in the municipality of Cajibío, Cauca, where once again violence hits the civilian population and disturbs the tranquility of our communities," said the director of the Land Restitution Unit (URT), Giovani Yule, who is a native of that region.

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Cajibío is a municipality located 35 kilometers from Popayán, capital of Cauca, on the Pan-American Highway, which connects with Cali, capital of the neighboring department of Valle del Cauca.

"The scenes in Cajibío, Cauca, are terrible. All the solidarity with the citizens. We demand protection from the State for the southwest. No more total peace," said presidential candidate Paloma Valencia, from the right-wing opposition Democratic Center party and also a native of Cauca, in X.

Terrorist offensive in the southwest

The attack was perpetrated just when the Minister of Defense, Pedro Sánchez Suárez, was leading a security council in Cali to evaluate the situation in Valle del Cauca after the two attacks perpetrated on Friday in that department with cylinder bombs, like those used today on the Pan-American Highway.

The first attack occurred in Cali against the Pichincha Battalion, a military unit that also houses the headquarters of the Third Brigade of the Army, and at night cylinders were launched against the Agustín Codazzi Engineer Battalion, in Palmira, in both cases without causing victims.

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The Army attributed both attacks to the Jaime Martínez column, which is part of the Central General Staff (EMC), the main dissident of the FARC, led by alias Iván Mordisco, the most wanted man in Colombia.

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This Saturday, the Santana radar, located in the town of El Tambo (Cauca), used to control air traffic in that region of the country, was also attacked by an armed group, according to the Civil Aeronautics (Aerocivil).

Petro calls the perpetrators of the attack "terrorists"

President Gustavo Petro called those responsible for the cylinder bomb attack "terrorists, fascists and drug traffickers."

"Those who attacked and killed seven civilians and injured 17 more civilians in Cajibío (...) are terrorists, fascists and drug traffickers," the president wrote in his X account, where he attributed the attack to armed groups under the command of alias Marlon.

The head of state pointed out that these groups are part of fronts linked to Iván Mordisco, the most wanted man in Colombia, leader of the Central General Staff (EMC), the main dissident of the former FARC, whom he described as "criminals against humanity."

With EFE

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