Car bomb attack rattles Colombia after inauguration of hardline president

Colombia’s new government promises a harsh response following an explosion on the Pan-American Highway in the country’s southwest. Authorities have reported a car bomb attack in southwestern Colombia, one day after far-right lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella was sworn in as president. The country’s military alleged that the Saturday attack was carried out by two armed groups that splintered from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a former rebel group that disarmed after a peace deal with the government in 2016. Authorities say the attack targeted a toll plaza on the Pan-American Highway in the coastal department of Cauca, in the west of the country. Two security guards reportedly suffered minor injuries in the explosion, which a witness said was carried out by an individual who left his car behind, then escaped the scene via motorcycle.

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