CALI, 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 the country’s new president pledging to strengthen security.
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.
The attack took place on the road connecting the regions of Cauca and 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.
Also on Saturday, 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 national corrections agency, aims to “regain permanent control of the prisons” and “contain any capacity of criminal organizations” to coordinate illicit activities from within prisons. 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 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 alleged fraud despite the official declaration from the electoral authority and the positive assessment of the vote by international observers.
Suárez and Molina write for the Associated Press. Molina reported from Quito, Ecuador.
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