In a rapidly deteriorating security situation in southwest Colombia, FARC dissidents of the Estado Mayor Central (EMC) attacked the town of Morales and destroyed the local police station. The attack began after 8:00 am, as confirmed by the town’s mayor, Óscar Yamid Arrubla. In an urgent message, Arrubla said the town was under a full-scale assault and that he was “deeply worried about what is happening.”
The extreme situation of violence in the department of Cauca comes after the same organization detonated an explosive device on Friday in the town of Corinto, killing a 12-year-old boy and a 67-year-old man identified as Luis Ovidio Rodríguez Velásquez. A woman was seriously injured in the attack. The victims were traveling on a motorcycle when the device went off near the side of a road.
As Colombia’s security forces try to regain control of Morales, President Gustavo Petro broke his silence and ordered Defense Minister Iván Velásquez and the military leadership to immediately travel to the area and establish a permanent security council. “The situation in Cauca is unacceptable. We will not tolerate the continued intimidation of the population with terrorist attacks,” stated Petro on his “X” account.
During the morning attack, two members of the national police were killed and at least four others injured. “We are facing a real SOS. We need support because with what we have, we cannot combat the armed groups,” stated Cauca’s Secretary of Government, Miller Hurtado.
“The call I make to President Gustavo Petro is to advance with the peace talks but in a decisive, serious manner, investing in social development,” highlighted Hurtado. In audios revealed by the Semana news outlet, the Colombian Army also confirmed that a National Police helicopter was hit by FARC dissidents.
On Monday morning as the attack was taking place in Morales, another terrorist attack was recorded in Jamundí, Valle del Cauca. According to initial reports, a motorcycle packed with explosives detonated next to a hotel at the heart of the city’s commercial district. The hotel was being used by members of the National Police. Two police officers were injured in the attack and are being treated at a local hospital.
Given the seriousness of the security situation in Cauca, President Petro and Defense Minister Velásquez appointed Major General Luis Emilio Cardozo as the new Commander of the Army.
But despite the government’s decision to establish a security council in the region, congressional lawmakers are blaming the Petro Government for the breakdown in public order. Senator Paloma Valencia affirmed that Petro must assume responsibility for the attacks and “what is happening in Cauca is a product of the ‘total peace’ process.” Bogotá City Councilor Daniel Briceño, stated on “X” that the peace talks between the government and EMC “are an offense to Colombia.” FARC dissidents have also been seen entering the town of Dagua, Valle del Cauca, located 47 km East of the departmental capital, Cali.
With horrific images circulating on social media since Friday’s explosion in Corinto, as well as attacks in Jamundí and Morales, Colombia’s former commander of the Armed Forces General (ret) Eduardo Zapateiro posted a forceful message to the Commander-in-Chief: “This is NOT in GAZA. This is in your country, Colombia!”
