A car-bomb attack targets southwest Colombia a day after conservative president takes office

A car-bomb attack targets southwest Colombia a day after conservative president takes office 1 of 5 | A soldiers walks through a toll plaza along the Pan-American Highway damaged in a explosion that the army blamed on FARC dissident groups in Santander de Quilichao, Colombia, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Santiago Saldarriaga) 2 of 5 | Colombia’s President Abelardo de la Espriella receives the ceremonial staff from Senate President Honorio Henriquez during his inauguration in Cali, Colombia, Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) 3 of 5 | Soldiers walk through a toll plaza along the Pan-American Highway damaged in a car bomb explosion that the army blamed on FARC dissident groups in Santander de Quilichao, Colombia, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Santiago Saldarriaga) 4 of 5 | Colombia’s President Abelardo de la Espriella reviews a military parade following his inauguration in Cali, Colombia, Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia) 5 of 5 | A soldier walks through a toll plaza along the Pan-American Highway damaged in a car bomb explosion that the army blamed on FARC dissident groups in Santander de Quilichao, Colombia, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Santiago Saldarriaga) By ASTRID SUÁREZ and GABRIELA MOLINA Updated 9:51 PM MESZ, August 8, 2026 Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Cali, Colombia (AP) — A car bomb exploded Saturday in southwestern Colombia, the army said, a day after conservative political neophyte Abelardo de la Espriella was sworn in as Colombia’s new president. The army alleged the attack was carried out by two dissident groups of the now-defunct Colombia" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="6250" data-entity-type="organization">Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. The groups did not accept the peace agreement that FARC signed a decade ago with the Colombian government. The explosion took place at a toll plaza on the Pan-American Highway, the main road in the country’s southwest. The army said two security guards suffered minor injuries in the attack. One of the guards told authorities that the explosion was caused by a vehicle that had been abandoned by an individual who fled on a motorcycle. The attack took place on the road connecting the departments of Cauca and Cauca" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="178443" data-entity-type="location">Valle del Cauca, whose capital, Cali, hosted Friday’s swearing-in ceremony for de la Espriella. During his inaugural speech, he outlined his security policy and warned illegal groups that “they have two paths: submit to the rule of law or confront the security forces.” The army on Saturday said on social media that soldiers were securing the area and using trained dogs to search for other explosive devices. Minister of Transportation Elsa Noguera condemned the attack and said work was underway to restore traffic in the area. “Colombia will not kneel before violence, nor will it allow the destruction of the infrastructure that connects our regions,” she wrote on social media. Colombia’s new president takes office in ceremony in Cali highlighting hard line on armed groups 2 MIN READ Colombia’s Petro calls on supporters to defend economic reforms in his last presidential speech 4 MIN READ Truck explodes outside Colombia police base, injuring 11 officers and killing a dog 4 MIN READ Dozens of prisoners sent to maximum security prisons With no prior political experience, the 48-year-old de la Espriella, a lawyer and businessperson, narrowly defeated Iván Cepeda, a progressive senator and Petro ally, in a June runoff election in a polarized political climate. His term begins with a robust opposition led by Petro, who refused to acknowledge his victory and insisted on alleged fraud despite the official declaration from the electoral authority and the positive assessment from international observers.