Bus Bombing in Colombia Kills 7, Injures 17

An explosive device detonated on a bus along the Panamerican Highway in Cajibio, southwest Colombia, killed seven civilians and injured more than 17 others on Saturday, authorities reported, marking the deadliest incident in a surge of violence targeting the region.

The attack occurred in the Cauca department, where the bus was traveling when the device activated, according to Octavio Guzmán, the governor of Cauca. Many of those wounded were Indigenous people, officials noted. Gen. Hugo López, commander of Colombia's Armed Forces, described the blast during a press conference as a terrorist act and attributed it to networks linked to Iván Mordisco, one of the country's most wanted figures, as well as the Jaime Martínez faction. Both are dissident groups that splintered from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, and rejected the 2016 peace agreement with the government.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro condemned the perpetrators in a post on X, formerly Twitter, calling them "terrorists, fascists, and drug traffickers." The incident unfolded amid at least 26 criminal events over the past two days in southwest Colombia, all affecting civilians, López said. Earlier...