A car bomb struck southwestern Colombia on Saturday, one day after far-right lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella was inaugurated as the country's new president, according to Al Jazeera.
The country's military alleged the attack was carried out by two armed groups that splintered from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as FARC, after the rebel organization disarmed following a 2016 peace deal with the government.
The bomb targeted a toll plaza on the Pan-American Highway in the coastal department of Cauca. Two security guards suffered minor injuries. A witness said the attack was carried out by an individual who left his car at the scene and then fled on a motorcycle.
De la Espriella's administration responded quickly. Minister of Transportation Elsa Noguera posted on social media that "Colombia will not kneel before violence, nor will it allow the destruction of the infrastructure that connects our regions." She referenced de la Espriella's inaugural speech, in which he pledged to "defeat narco-terrorism" and reduce criminal activity across the country. "As President Abelardo de la Espriella said yesterday, the time for restoring order has begun," Noguera added. "We will recover security, control of our territories, and the peace of mind of Colombians."
De la Espriella, a political newcomer, campaigned on a promise to crack down on Colombia's armed groups and to end the Total Peace approach of his predecessor. He narrowly defeated leftist Senator Ivan Cepeda in a June run-off election in which the two candidates were separated by less than one percent of the vote.
Colombia has contended with an internal armed conflict for more than six decades, involving right-wing paramilitaries, left-wing rebels, government forces, and criminal networks. The country is also the world's largest producer of coca, the raw ingredient used to make cocaine. Colombian presidents are not eligible for re-election, giving de la Espriella four years to make progress on the security issues that defined his campaign.
