Two Colombian police officers were killed on Tuesday after a bomb exploded in the city of Cali, as violence by a powerful guerrilla group continued to rise across the country.
Police General Henry Bello said the officers were patrolling a neighborhood in Cali, Colombia’s third-largest city, when they were attacked. The two officers were riding a motorcycle at the time of the explosion and died at the scene.
Their deaths have increased to nearly 150 the number of police officers and soldiers killed by armed groups in Colombia so far this year. Authorities say the country is facing one of its deadliest periods in recent years.
The attack is believed to have been carried out by the National Liberation Army (ELN), the largest remaining guerrilla group in Latin America. The ELN recently announced what it called “military exercises” and ordered a three-day curfew in areas under its control. Since Sunday, the group has launched more than 82 attacks, according to Colombia’s armed forces.
The ELN said it was acting to defend Colombia against what it described as threats of “imperialist intervention” from US President Donald Trump. Earlier this month, Trump warned that countries producing cocaine and selling it to the United States could face military action. Colombia is the world’s largest producer of cocaine, while the US is the biggest consumer.
The guerrilla group also warned civilians in major cities, including Bogota and Medellin, to stay away from military and police installations during the three-day period.
In response to the growing violence, Colombian President Gustavo Petro ordered security forces on Sunday to launch attacks against the ELN. Petro said the government would not allow armed groups to terrorize civilians or security personnel.
The ELN has about 5,800 fighters and operates in more than one-fifth of Colombia’s 1,100 municipalities, according to security experts. The group has been involved in failed peace talks with Colombia’s last five governments and continues to fight for control of cocaine-producing areas and drug trafficking routes.
In January, the ELN killed dozens of people near the Venezuelan border, an attack that ended two years of peace negotiations with Petro’s government.
Relations between Colombia and the United States have worsened since Trump returned to office and Petro, the country’s first left-wing president, took a critical stance toward Washington. Colombia has faced US sanctions and was removed from the list of key allies in the fight against drug trafficking.
On Tuesday, the US government announced it was designating Colombia’s largest drug gang, the Clan del Golfo, as a terrorist organization, even though the group is currently holding talks with the Colombian government.
The latest bombing has increased fears among civilians as Colombia struggles to contain renewed violence by armed groups across the country.
