The Pan‑American Highway bombing in Cauca killed 20 and wounded 36, leaving a 200‑cubic‑metre crater and wrecking several vehicles. Officials say attackers blocked the road before detonating the device. President Gustavo Petro blamed fugitive Ivan Mordisco and called for a security response as authorities report a recent spike in attacks across Valle del Cauca and Cauca ahead of the May 31 presidential election.
Highway Bombing in Colombia Kills 20, Wounds 36 — President Blames Most-Wanted Fugitive Ahead of Election
The blast left buses and vans mangled on the Pan-American Highway in the restive southwestern Cauca Department of Colombia (JOAQUIN SARMIENTO)(JOAQUIN SARMIENTO/AFP/AFP)
Colombian officials say a roadside bombing on the Pan‑American Highway in Cauca Department killed 20 people and injured 36 over the weekend, in one of the deadliest attacks on civilians in the region in decades.
Details of the attack: Governor Octavio Guzman described the explosion as the area’s “most brutal and ruthless attack against the civilian population in decades,” saying it created a crater of roughly 200 cubic metres. The victims included 15 women and five men, all adults. Among the wounded, three people remain in intensive care and five children were injured but are reported to be out of danger. The blast mangled buses and vans and flipped several cars on the busy highway.
How it happened: Military chief Hugo Lopez said the bomb detonated after assailants blocked the road by placing a bus and another vehicle across the carriageway, stopping traffic and targeting civilians. Lopez called the incident a terrorist act against the civilian population.
Political context and claims: The attack occurred roughly one month before Colombia’s presidential election on May 31. President Gustavo Petro posted on X that those responsible were “terrorists, fascists and drug traffickers,” and publicly blamed Ivan Mordisco — described by the president as Colombia’s most‑wanted fugitive and compared to the late cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar — for the bombing. Petro urged security forces to pursue the perpetrators.
Wider security situation: The bombing followed a separate attack on Friday at a military base in Cali that injured two people and coincided with a reported surge in violence: Defense officials said security forces recorded 26 attacks across Valle del Cauca and Cauca departments in two days. Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez announced increased military and police deployments in affected areas.
Armed groups and election stakes: Colombia’s armed groups — many of which finance operations through drug trafficking, illegal mining and extortion — have a history of using violence to influence politics. FARC dissidents who rejected the 2016 peace deal have been implicated in efforts to disrupt stalled talks with the government. Security has become a central election issue after the shooting last June of conservative campaigner Miguel Uribe Turbay in Bogota, who died two months later from his wounds.
Electoral backdrop: Polls show leftist Senator Ivan Cepeda — an advocate of negotiating with armed groups — leading, followed by right‑wing figures Abelardo de la Espriella and Paloma Valencia, all of whom report receiving death threats and are campaigning under heightened security.
What officials say next: Authorities continue to investigate and have increased troop and police patrols in the region as they pursue suspects and work to reassure voters ahead of the presidential vote.
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