Car bomb hits Cauca toll plaza a day after hardline president takes office

Authorities reported that a car bomb detonated at a toll plaza on the Pan-American Highway in Cauca, wounding two security guards with minor injuries. Witnesses said the perpetrator left the car and escaped on a motorcycle. The Colombian military attributes the attack to two splinter groups of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, which demobilized after a 2016 peace accord.

The incident came just one day after far-right lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella was sworn in as president, a leader who campaigned on a hardline crackdown against armed groups. Transportation Minister Elsa Noguera responded on social media, stating that the nation will not submit to violence and will restore security. De la Espriella has vowed to abandon the previous “Total Peace” strategy and pursue a militarized approach, receiving backing from United States President Donald Trump.