Car bomb detonates at Pan-American Highway toll plaza in southwestern Colombia

A car bomb detonated on Saturday at a toll plaza on the Pan-American Highway linking the Cauca and Valle del Cauca departments, injuring two security guards, the Colombian army said. The explosion was attributed to two dissident factions of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) that refused to accept the 2016 peace agreement.

The device was reportedly placed in a vehicle abandoned by a person who fled on a motorcycle. Soldiers secured the area and deployed trained dogs to search for additional explosives, while fragments of the vehicle’s chassis were found scattered around the site.

Local residents reported the blast waking them and shattering windows. "The blast wave lifted us out of bed and the windows shattered," said Elizabeth Zapata, 57, who lives near the toll plaza.

Cauca Governor Jorge Octavio Guzmán told reporters he believes the attacks aim to isolate the department and maintain control over large tracts of land. > "This is not an isolated incident; it is systematic," he said.

Transportation Minister Elsa Noguera condemned the bombing and announced efforts to restore traffic. > "Colombia will not kneel before violence, nor will it allow the destruction of the infrastructure that connects our regions," she wrote on social media.

The incident occurred a day after conservative lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella was sworn in as Colombia’s president. In his inaugural address, de la Esprienda warned illegal groups to either submit to the rule of law or confront security forces. On the same day, he ordered the transfer of 117 prisoners linked to previous peace talks to maximum-security facilities to prevent coordination of illicit activities from within prisons.