According to AFP via France 24, the blast tore through the northern border city on Saturday, injuring 11 police officers and three civilians. The attack happened not far from the Venezuelan border, and reporters at the scene described a vehicle engulfed in flames and damaged building facades around the station.
The Colombian government blamed the National Liberation Army, or ELN, the country’s largest active guerrilla group. Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez called the attackers “narcoterrorists” and announced a reward of more than $64,000 for information leading to arrests. Governor William Villamizar said two of the injured officers were fighting for their lives.
The bombing landed only days before president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella is due to take office on August 7. De la Espriella condemned the blast as “an atrocious, violent act” and said terrorism would not intimidate Colombia. He has promised a harder line against armed groups and drug traffickers, and has said he will end the peace negotiations pursued by outgoing President Gustavo Petro.
That political backdrop matters. The report says the election campaign already unfolded amid violence, including bombs, explosive-laden drones and attacks on security forces. In 2025, right-wing presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay was shot at a campaign event in Bogota and later died, underscoring how sharply the security environment has deteriorated.
The ELN has long been one of the central drivers of Colombia’s armed conflict. The group is the oldest surviving guerrilla organization in the Americas and finances itself through drug trafficking and other illicit activity, according to the report. Petro’s talks with the group collapsed in January 2025 after the ELN launched an offensive against rival guerrillas in the northeast, killing more than 100 people.
De la Espriella’s response suggests the attack could become an early test of his approach. He has already said he intends to intensify operations against guerrillas and other criminal networks, and the inauguration itself is set to be heavily fortified, with around 11,000 soldiers and police deployed across land, air and sea. The ceremony has also been moved from the Congress building in Bogota to Cali, a city in the southwest that has faced its own violence.
The United Nations condemned the bombing, saying it was spreading fear among residents. That reaction reflects a broader pattern in Colombia: attacks on security forces and civilians are increasingly being used to shape political messaging, not just to inflict casualties. In this case, the blast appeared designed to send exactly that message on the eve of a leadership transition.
For now, the immediate story is a familiar one in Colombia’s conflict regions: a bomb, a blamed insurgent group, wounded police officers and civilians, and another political promise to respond harder than the last one did.
