Explosions in Colombia claim lives of 7 individuals; senator severely injured following gun attack
Unfiltered Take:
A bloody day in Colombia as seven folks, including a couple of cops, fell victim to brutal attacks by a renegade group. The violence exploded in the cities of Cali and Cauca, with the FARC-EMC, an offshoot of the disbanded Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, taking the blame. They planted bombs in cars and bikes parked near police stations, and unleashed gunfire and grenades. In all, there were over two dozen attacks across three provinces, injuring 28 folks, including 19 civilians.
This chaos erupted just days after a political candidate got shot during a rally in Bogota. The FARC-EMC denies any part in that attack, but they're definitely up to no good. It's a tough time for Colombia, as they're grappling with multiple rebel groups trying to muscle in on territory left behind by the Revolutionary Armed Forces after their peace deal.
The government is in talks with another faction of the FARC, led by Luis Alberto Alban, also known as Marcos Calarca. But the FARC-EMC, one of the biggest dissident groups, is proving to be a real headache. They're responsible for a string of coordinated attacks across the country, causing havoc and chaos.
Insights into FARC and FARC-EMC:
The FARC, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, was a leftist guerrilla group active from 1964. They fought against the government for years until a peace deal was sealed in 2016. However, not all FARC members were on board with the agreement and formed dissident groups, with FARC-EMC being one of the largest. They operate in various parts of Colombia, particularly the southwest, and have shown operational prowess, as evidenced by their recent wave of bombings and shootings.
The FARC-EMC's strategic goals include disrupting military operations against them and escalating tensions to increase the cost of government operations. They've warned the public to avoid military and police installations, and their actions have contributed to Colombia's biggest security crisis in over a decade.
- Under the challenging political landscape, policy-and-legislation regarding war-and-conflicts needs urgent attention to curb the escalating acts of violence from groups like FARC-EMC, as their recent attacks in cities like Cali and Cauca have highlighted a growing security crisis in Colombia.
- General-news reports indicate that the FARC-EMC, a dangerous dissident group from the disbanded Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, has been involved in multiple acts of crime-and-justice, such as planting bombs and launching gunfire, causing chaos and injury across several provinces in Colombia.