Latest News

Truck Bomb Explodes Near Patía on Colombia’s Pan-American Highway

By The City Paper Staff - November 4, 2026

An explosives-laden dump truck targeting a police substation in El Estrecho, southwest Cauca, was detonated before security forces could intercept it, resulting in one victim, six injured and damaging nearby homes and businesses. POPAYÁN – An explosives-laden dump truck exploded Wednesday morning near a police substation in El Estrecho, municipality of Patía, in Colombia’s southwest […]

De la Espriella Renews Military Offensive Against Dissidents After Planadas Bombing

By The City Paper Staff - November 3, 2026

Colombia’s Abelardo de la Espriella has vowed to intensify airstrikes, special operations and aerial coca eradication following a wave of terror attacks across Tolima, Huila and Cauca that left civilians dead, including a two-month-old baby. President Abelardo de la Espriella announced Monday that he will intensify Colombia’s military offensive against illegal armed groups following a […]

De la Espriella orders temporary militarization of Cúcuta

By Richard Emblin - October 30, 2026

The temporary deployment of the Army in Norte de Santander’s capital follows the assassination of a former senior municipal official and a series of bomb attacks, as the government confronts expanding criminal networks along the Venezuelan border. President Abelardo de la Espriella has ordered the temporary militarization of Cúcuta, the capital of Norte de Santander, […]

Thirteen Colombian Soldiers Remain Stranded in Cauca After Black Hawk Crash

By Richard Emblin - October 21, 2026

Rescue efforts continue in rugged terrain near Inzá, Cauca, where difficult weather conditions have delayed the evacuation of 13 Army personnel following the October 19 helicopter crash. INZA – Thirteen Colombian Army soldiers remain stranded near the site of a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crash in the mountainous municipality of Inzá, Cauca, on Wednesday, October […]

De La Espriella Sets Ground Rules for Indigenous Protest in Conflict Region

By The City Paper Staff - October 7, 2026

President Abelardo de la Espriella has set clear ground rules for an indigenous mobilization scheduled for October 11–14 in Cauca, guaranteeing the right to peaceful protest while warning that his government will not permit road blockades, violence or attempts to paralyze the department. The warning comes as the Consejo Regional Indígena del Cauca (CRIC) prepares […]

Drone attacks hit police in Cauca and Chocó as Colombia’s displacement crisis deepens

By Richard Emblin - September 29, 2026

At least 10 police officers were wounded Tuesday in a series of attacks involving drones and explosives in two regions of Colombia, as armed groups continue to employ unmanned aircraft against security forces and the country records a growing number of mass displacement events. The first attack occurred at the former Tunía toll station in […]

Colombia’s armed groups turn TikTok and Facebook into recruiting grounds for children

By The City Paper Staff - September 1, 2026

Colombia’s long-running conflict has found a new recruiting ground, one that fits inside a child’s pocket. Human Rights Watch has warned that illegal armed groups are increasingly using TikTok, Facebook and other social-media platforms to recruit children, combining propaganda, promises of money and status, coded language and carefully chosen emojis to draw minors toward illegal […]

Colombia’s De la Espriella announces military strike against FARC dissidents in Guaviare

By The City Paper Staff - August 27, 2026

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella announced Thursday that the country’s Armed Forces have carried out a military strike against the FARC dissident faction commanded by alias Calarcá in the southern department of Guaviare. According to initial reports, eight members of the criminal armed group have been killed. De la Espriella said the operation, code-named […]

Wildfires Consume 30,000 Hectares Across Tolima, Criminal Groups Suspected

By Richard Emblin - August 24, 2026

More than 30,000 hectares have been burned across Colombia’s Tolima department as firefighters battle one of the region’s worst wildfire emergencies in years, but authorities are now investigating a darker possibility: that some of the fires are being deliberately set by criminal groups seeking to divert security forces, destabilize communities and gain control of territory. Interior […]

Colombia’s Armed Forces confirm over 50 dead in FARC dissident clashes in Guaviare

By The City Paper Staff - May 28, 2026

Colombia’s Armed Forces and regional authorities are struggling to verify the full scale of a bloody confrontation between rival FARC dissident factions in the remote southeastern department of Guaviare after clashes reportedly left more than 50 combatants dead. The fighting, described by officials as one of the deadliest episodes this year involving former Revolutionary Armed […]

Explosive Drone Deactivated Near Bogotá’s El Dorado International Airport

By The City Paper Staff - May 8, 2026

Colombian authorities have seized and safely deactivated a commercial drone carrying improvised explosive materials just 5.4 kilometers from Bogotá’s El Dorado International Airport and the nearby Military Air Transport Command (CATAM), raising fresh security concerns in the capital three weeks before the country’s May 31 presidential election. The discovery marks a significant escalation from recent […]

Passengers are rescued from a municipal bus in Cauca, Colombia, during Saturday's terrorist attack on the Pan-American highway. Photo: X

U.S. Issues Strong “Do Not Travel” Advisory for Southwestern Colombia

By Richard Emblin - April 29, 2026

The United States has updated a “do not travel” warning for large parts of southwestern Colombia after a wave of terrorist attacks have left over 20 people dead, underscoring growing international concern over the country’s deteriorating security situation and prompting regional authorities to demand stronger support from the leftist government of President Gustavo Petro. The […]

Carnage along the Pan-American highway after FARC dissidents detonated a bomb killing at least 20 civilians on Saturday. Photo: X

Colombia reels from worst terrorist attack in decades as Petro celebrates birthday

By The City Paper Staff - April 27, 2026

Colombians are expressing outrage and grief after a bombing attributed to dissident factions of the former FARC killed 20 people and left injured 46, marking the country’s deadliest attack in over a decade. The blast on Saturday afternoon tore through a stretch of the Pan-American Highway near Cajibío, in the southwestern department of Cauca, leaving […]

FARC dissident ‘Iván Mordisco’ alive but wounded after major military bombardment

By The City Paper Staff - March 30, 2026

Colombia’s security forces believe FARC dissident leader Iván Mordisco is alive but seriously wounded following a major aerial bombardment in the remote department of Vaupés, dealing a significant blow to one of the country’s most powerful armed groups. Uncertainty over the fate of Mordisco — whose real name is Néstor Gregorio Vera Fernández — mounted […]

Colombia – Ecuador rift widens over cross-border bombings

By The City Paper Staff - March 17, 2026

President Gustavo Petro accused Ecuador on Monday of carrying out bombing raids inside Colombian territory, sharply escalating a diplomatic and trade dispute that has been simmering since January. Petro said “27 charred bodies” have been found near the border and suggested the attacks could not have been carried out by illegal armed groups, though he […]

Medellín Mayor Federico Gutiérrez and Antioquia Governor Andrés Julian Rendón at the Hidroituango power plant. Photo: Gobernación/X

Suspected drone attack disrupts high-level visit to Colombia’s Hidroituango

By The City Paper Staff - March 2, 2026

Colombia’s security forces alerted late Sunday Medellín Mayor Federico Gutiérrez and Antioquia Governor Andrés Julián Rendón to cancel a planned visit to the Hidroituango hydroelectric complex for Monday, March 2, after intelligence warnings of a possible drone attack and credible terrorist threat. The visit, which included a press conference expected to draw around 100 journalists, […]