Cauca highway bombing kills ~20 as FARC dissidents open a pre-election offensive
Petro blames Iván Mordisco's EMC for a wave of bombings across Cauca and Valle del Cauca as the campaign turns violent
Summary
A bomb on the Pan-American Highway at Cajibío, Cauca, on 25 April 2026 burned a bus and killed about 20 civilians, wounding 36 — part of a wave of roughly 26 attacks across Cauca and Valle del Cauca in two days, including a strike on a military base in Cali. President Gustavo Petro blamed Iván Mordisco's Estado Mayor Central. The offensive overlapped the presidential campaign and the military's renewed push in Catatumbo. Monitors read it as armed groups — the EMC, Eln and Gulf Clan — fighting for coca territory and signalling strength after the collapse of "Paz Total," turning to high-visibility attacks on infrastructure and security forces as the conflict sharpens before the August transition.
By the numbers
- ~20 — killed in the 25 April Cajibío highway bombing; 36 wounded.
- ~26 — attacks across Cauca and Valle del Cauca in two days.
- 2 — wounded in the prior Cali military-base bombing.
Why it matters
The bombing wave shows armed groups projecting force into Colombia's southwest and its cities during an election, not just contested rural pockets. It hands the incoming government a hardened, multi-front war and pressures Petro's legacy as "Total Peace" gives way to open military offensives.
What to watch
- Whether the EMC/ELN sustain urban-adjacent attacks through the August handover.
- The next government's stated security posture and any return to eradication.
- Casualty and displacement trends in Cauca, Valle del Cauca and Catatumbo.