Berliner Tageszeitung - Colombia truck bomb wounds 14 ahead of presidential inauguration

The government in Bogota blamed rebels from the National Liberation Army (ELN), the country's largest active guerrilla group, for the early-morning blast in the northern city of Cucuta.

Eleven police officers and three civilians were hurt in the incident, according to the latest official toll.

AFP reporters saw the vehicle in flames and damaged building facades.

Two of the wounded officers were "fighting for their lives," said William Villamizar, the governor of Norte de Santander department.

De la Espriella -- the right-wing millionaire lawyer who will take the oath of office on August 7, succeeding Gustavo Petro, the first leftist president in Colombia's history -- condemned the attack, calling it "an atrocious, violent act."

"Terrorism will not intimidate Colombia," he said in a post on X.

Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez said ELN "narcoterrorists" were to blame, and offered a reward of more than $64,000 for any information leading to the arrest of the perpetrators.

The United Nations also condemned the attack, saying it was sparking fear among residents.

Guerrilla groups have issued warnings to De la Espriella, who plans to end the peace negotiations Petro had been conducting with various armed organizations.

Petro's talks with the ELN came to a halt in January 2025 after the group launched an offensive against rival guerrillas in the northeast, killing more than 100 people.

- War on drugs -

Colombia is the world's largest producer of cocaine.

The ELN, the oldest surviving guerrilla group in the Americas, funds its activities through drug trafficking and other illegal activities.

With the support of US President Donald Trump's government, De la Espriella has promised to intensify the fight against guerrillas and other drug trafficking organizations fueling the country's worst wave of violence in a decade.

To achieve his objectives, De la Espriella plans to forge a military alliance with the United States and Israel.

Presidential inaugurations are traditionally held at the Congress building in Bogota, but the president-elect requested that the ceremony be moved to Cali in the country's southwest, a region plagued by clashes between drug trafficking gangs and guerrillas.

De la Espriella's inauguration will involve a massive security deployment, with around 11,000 soldiers and police officers carrying out operations on land, at sea and in the air.

The president-elect has repeatedly alleged the existence of a plot to assassinate him.

The election campaign was marked by political violence and an escalation of the armed conflict involving bombs, explosive-laden drones and attacks against security forces.

In 2025, right-wing presidential hopeful and senator Miguel Uribe Turbay was shot at an event in Bogota and later died.

Petro is spending his last days in office on a visit to Cuba and has so far not commented on the attack.

K. Petersen--BTZ