A Colombian soldier died and two others were wounded on Wednesday after guerrilla members set off a bomb strapped to a donkey, local officials said.
The attack took place in Valdivia, in the department of Antioquia, and was attributed to the Ejercito de Liberacion Nacional (ELN).
Antioquia governor Andres Julian Rendon reacted to the episode, criticizing the government led by Gustavo Petro for engaging in the now-defunct peace talks with the organization.
"This government insists on talking about total peace and now with the tale of urban peace," Rendon said, calling members "emboldened bandits navigating in impunity.
CBS News noted that talks with the ELN were frozen in January after the group was blamed for more than 100 deaths in raids near the border with Venezuela.
Other guerrilla groups have conducted attacks recently, with the Estado Mayor Central carrying out more than a dozen attacks across the Valle del Cauca state in June, leaving at least seven people dead and dozens more injured.
Carlos Fernando Triana, director general of the Colombian National Police, said the attacks were launched in commemoration of the third anniversary of the death of Leider Johany Noscué, also known as "Mayimbú," a former commander of the Western Coordinating Command who was killed in 2022.
Authorities said the rebels placed explosives in cars and motorcycles parked near police stations.
In Caloto, a police officer was killed by a sniper. About 30 minutes later, another officer died when an explosive device detonated at a toll booth in Villa Rica, about 16 miles north of Caloto.
In Cali, two civilians were killed in twin explosions near police stations. Three additional deaths—two civilians and the attacker—were reported after a car bomb exploded in a rural area of Jamundí, located less than an hour south of Cali.
Originally published on Latin Times
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