Car-bomb attack targets southwest Colombia day after conservative President takes office
A car bomb exploded at a toll plaza in southwestern Colombia just one day after the inauguration of new President Abelardo de la Espriella. Authorities attribute the attack to FARC dissident groups who rejected the 2016 peace agreement.
Why it matters
The attack poses an immediate security challenge to the new administration and highlights ongoing instability caused by armed dissident groups in Colombia.
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 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.
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