Indiscriminate violence on Pan-American Highway prompts nationwide pursuit order in Colombia

A suspected explosive attack on the Pan-American Highway in the El Tunel sector of Cajibio, within the Cauca region, has resulted in the deaths of at least seven people and left 20 others wounded. Regional authorities have described the incident as a suspected act of terrorism, marking a significant escalation in violence along one of South America's most critical transport routes.

Governor Octavio Guzman condemned the blast as an indiscriminate attack against the civilian population, stating that there are insufficient words to express the pain felt by the community. In a social media post, Guzman demanded a decisive and sustained response from the national government, warning that the province of Cauca cannot continue to face this barbarity alone. A video shared by the governor reportedly shows the aftermath of the explosion, depicting ambulances on site, mangled vehicles, and debris covering the road.

The attack is attributed to criminal groups formed by dissident members of the FARC rebel group. These factions split from the organisation following the landmark peace agreement with the Colombian government in 2016. This incident follows a series of attacks on Friday also linked to these groups, which the President has stated are seeking to control the population through fear.

President Gustavo Petro responded to the deadly explosion by ordering a worldwide pursuit against the perpetrators. He specifically identified a known drug trafficker, alias Ivan Mordisco, as the mastermind behind the operation, labelling the group a narco-terrorist entity. Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez convened a security council in Cali on Saturday to assess the regional security situation in the wake of the attack.

Governor Guzman indicated that the violence may be part of a wider pattern, noting that other actions have been carried out in El Tambo, Caloto, Popayan, Guachene, Mercaderes, and Miranda. However, the exact cause of the explosion has not been independently verified by external investigators, and the specific number of casualties remains based on initial reports from regional authorities.

While President Petro has linked the perpetrators to a narco-terrorist group led by Ivan Mordisco, there is no independent confirmation that this individual was directly involved in this specific incident or that his group is solely responsible. The claim that coordinated actions occurred in multiple other towns also requires further verification to determine if these were separate incidents or part of the same operation.