This weekend Colombia has been shaken by a series of violent events, including the attack on a military base that left three soldiers dead, an event attributed by the Ministry of Defense to the self-proclaimed National Liberation Army (ELN). Added to the hours of tension were threats of attacks against media outlets, which is why one of the country's main television channels had to be evacuated. President Abelardo de la Espriella warned that he will not tolerate “narcoterrorism intimidating journalism.”

First modification: 08/11/2026 - 16:17Last modification: 08/11/2026 - 17:11

Dark hours in Colombia. Violence escalated since Saturday, November 7, with a series of attacks, just when the president of the country, Abelardo de la Espriella, was completing his first 90 days in office, whose Government has opted for the return of the “iron fist” against the “terrorist groups” in the country, ruling out negotiations.

After years of worsening violence in both rural and urban areas, after the failure of the “total peace” policy of his predecessor, Gustavo Petro, who tried to negotiate unsuccessfully with the various armed organizations outside the law, De la Espriella undertook a frontal policy against illegal armed groups. Their actions range from bombings and extraditions – at least 142 until last October, as announced by the president – ​​to the militarization of some cities, such as Cucúta, on the border with Venezuela.

Controversy has also surrounded his bet, the center of the campaign promises that brought him to the Presidency, in a country with more than six decades of armed violence, which has not ceased even after the signing of the Peace Agreement with the extinct FARC in 2016. The images of the president walking among bags of bodies of alleged members of armed groups killed during military operations have earned him criticism from various sectors of human rights defense.

But is De la Espriella's frontal policy working against him? Are criminal groups measuring the pulse of the return of the “iron fist” in Colombia?

Three soldiers dead and dozens injured after drone attack on a military base

At least three soldiers died and about 30 people were injured, including eight other soldiers in serious condition, after an attack with drones loaded with explosives against the military canton of Santa Rosa del Sur, in the department of Bolívar, in northern Colombia, the Army reported.

The fatal victims were identified as Jairo Lince Carvajal, Dilan Andrés Lozano León and Álvaro Pushaina, whose murders were confirmed by the military institution in a statement, in which it also expressed its condolences to family members and colleagues of the uniformed men.

The country's Defense Minister, Jorge Mora, attributed this fact to the self-proclaimed National Liberation Army (ELN). "This attack against our Public Force would be retaliation by the ELN for the capture of alias 'Carrito', leader of the Guamocó Resistance Front," said the head of the portfolio.

To display this content from X (Twitter), you must allow audience measurement and advertising cookies.

The Army indicated that the unmanned aircraft used for the attack were equipped with explosive devices. The detonations also caused significant damage to military installations, images posted on social networks show. For his part, the mayor of Santa Rosa del Sur, Milton Olaya, rejected the attack and asked the national government to send reinforcements to guarantee the safety of the population.

The Colombian president, Abelardo de la Espriella, also condemned the attack and expressed his solidarity with the families of the deceased soldiers and the injured soldiers. The president ordered to intensify security operations to identify and capture those responsible, as well as weaken their criminal structures and regain control of the territories affected by violence.

The Clan del Golfo and the ELN operate in the area where the attack occurred, organizations that maintain disputes over territorial control of drug trafficking routes, according to an early warning from the Ombudsman's Office published in January.

Other attacks put the authorities on alert

The attack against the military base occurred on a day marked by other incidents with explosives in the department of Cauca, in southwestern Colombia. Situations that increase concern for the safety of the civilian population and users of the main roads in the region.

One of the violent events occurred in the Playa Rica village, in the municipality of Suárez, where an explosive device detonated on the road that connects the municipal seat with the Betulia district. Mayor César Lizardo Cerón confirmed that there were no injuries or fatalities, although the authorities recommended taking extreme precautions due to the possibility of other devices in the road corridor.

The second attack targeted the Mondomo tollbooth, located on the Pan-American Highway, near the Cachimbal sidewalk, in the jurisdiction of Santander de Quilichao. The local network 'RCN Televisión' reported that this attack took place around 1:45 a.m. this Sunday, when individuals traveling on motorcycles threw two explosive devices at the facilities, presumably fragmentation grenades.

The detonation caused damage mainly to the booths of the collection center, which is still under construction and has not come into operation. This point of the road infrastructure has been attacked five times since the beginning of its construction, according to the Colombian media.

The two episodes occur amid a deterioration in security conditions in Cauca, where attacks against infrastructure and strategic corridors have generated alarm among communities and local authorities. After the attack on the toll, the department's Undersecretary of Peace and Governance, Diana Murillo, asked the national government to convene a security council in the region to review protection strategies and adopt measures to safeguard the population. Meanwhile, the Suárez Mayor's Office urged respect for International Humanitarian Law, avoiding the manipulation of suspicious objects and exclusively following the recommendations of official organizations.

The succession of these events once again highlights the security challenges facing southwestern Colombia, especially in the department of Cauca, a strategic area for mobility and connection between the south of the country and the rest of the national territory. The circumstances of these detonations remain under investigation.

Alert in Colombian media after threats of attack

The Colombian authorities activated security measures after receiving alerts about possible attacks against several media outlets in Bogotá, a situation that forced the preventive evacuation of the main headquarters of 'Caracol Televisión' on Saturday night. The channel reported that it had been warned by the authorities about the intentions of illegal armed groups to attack its facilities, located in the northwest of the capital, where the newspaper 'El Espectador' and the station 'Blu Radio' also operate.

Although the Police indicated that, until the time of the first verifications, there was no evidence of explosives in the building or its surroundings, the alert generated concern in the journalistic sector.

To display this Stats Perform content, you must allow advertising and audience measurement cookies.

The station 'Caracol Radio' later confirmed that it also received official information about the risk of a possible attack against its facilities and other media outlets. The network assured that it activated preventive protocols to protect its journalists, workers and visitors. Its headquarters, located in the Plaza 67 building, where the EFE Agency and the Spanish newspaper 'El País' also operate, were not evacuated. The warnings were also extended to other media, including intelligence information about possible actions by the ELN against the facilities of 'Caracol TV' and 'RCN', the two main television channels in the country.

Given the seriousness of the threats, the Colombian president, Abelardo de la Espriella, ordered the deployment of the State's security capabilities to protect the media, their workers and their families. The president also ordered to reinforce the security schemes of the magazine 'SEMANA' and warned that his Government will not allow illegal armed groups to intimidate the press.

For its part, the Mayor's Office of Bogotá reported that the Prosecutor's Office shared information about the alerts with the district authorities and the affected media, while Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán requested to convene the Integrated Information and Intelligence Center to evaluate the risks and coordinate preventive actions.

The threats provoked widespread institutional rejection. The ombudsman, Iris Marín, and the attorney general, Gregorio Eljach, expressed their solidarity with media workers and demanded guarantees for the free and independent exercise of journalism. Marín asked to clarify the facts and verify the veracity of the warnings, while Eljach warned that any intimidation against the press also constitutes a threat to democracy. The authorities continue investigation and prevention efforts to determine the scope of possible attacks and guarantee the security of the media.

With EFE and local media

Related keywords

The content you requested does not exist or is no longer available.