Car bomb attack targets south-west Colombia day after president takes office

Car bomb attack targets south-west Colombia day after president takes office The blast, which targeted a toll plaza on the Pan-American Highway in Colombia, came hours after conservative newcomer Abelardo de la Espriella was sworn in as president A car bomb has exploded in Colombia the day after the county’s new president took office. The conservative Abelardo de la Espriella was sworn in hours before the blast, which the Colombian army blamed on two dissident groups of the now-defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. The splinter groups have refused to honour a peace agreement that FARC signed a decade ago with the Colombian government. The blast was targeted at a toll plaza on the Pan-American Highway, the main road in the country’s south-west. The army said two security guards suffered minor injuries in the attack. One of the guards reported that the explosion came from an abandoned vehicle after the driver fled on a motorcycle. The attack took place on the road connecting the departments of Cauca and Valle del Cauca, whose capital, Cali, hosted Friday’s swearing-in ceremony for Mr de la Espriella. During his inaugural speech, conservative politician Mr de la Espriella warned illegal groups that “they have two paths: submit to the rule of law or confront the security forces”. Armed forces descended on the scene with a statement from the army on Saturday saying 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 under way 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. Also on Saturday, Mr de la Espriella announced the transfer of 117 prisoners linked to the previous administration’s peace talks to eight maximum-security prisons. The measure, according to the country’s corrections agency, aims to “regain permanent control of the prisons” and “contain any capacity of criminal organisations” to coordinate illicit activities from within prisons. Mr De la Espriella has rejected the dialogue with armed groups promoted by his predecessor, Gustavo Petro. With no prior political experience, the 48-year-old Mr de la Espriella, a lawyer and businessperson, narrowly defeated Ivan Cepeda, a progressive senator and Petro ally, in a June runoff election in a polarised political climate. His term begins with a robust opposition led by Mr 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.