A failed attack against the Third Brigade of the Army in Cali did not achieve its criminal objective, but it did make one message clear. The capital of Valle del Cauca remains under threat from terrorist groups, while the calls for help from mayor Alejandro Eder and governor Dilian Francisca Toro are not heard by the National Government, the only authority that can make decisions such as increasing the troop presence of the Armed Forces in that city.
The terrorists managed to launch a cylinder loaded with explosives inside the Pichincha Battalion, in the south of the city, but it did not explode, while another one was activated and exploded inside a bus very close to the military garrison. The shockwave shook the surroundings of the place, but the effect was felt throughout the city, which last August also experienced another similar attack, on that occasion against the Marco Fidel Suarez air base, in which seven people died and another 70 were injured. Cali once again felt terror.
According to Eder, those responsible for the attack brought a small bus to the side of the battalion to use it as a launcher. The mayor also said that the criminal, whom he called a “coward”, left the vehicle at Carrera 80 with Calle 5 and fled the scene on foot, behind the Psychiatric Hospital. His administration and the Government of Valle are offering a reward of 200 million pesos (US$56,000) for information leading to those responsible for the attack.
Several people were saved by a miracle
“They tried to launch two cylinders at the battalion: one was thrown and did not detonate, and the other did so inside the minibus. At this moment we are carrying out a lockdown plan in the area to find the terrorist,” the mayor reported on Friday afternoon, shortly after the events.
Videos recorded by security cameras captured the moment when the small bus approaches along a road that runs parallel to a canal, and at an intersection it stops. The driver gets out and runs away. A few seconds later the explosion of the cylinder that failed to be expelled from the vehicle occurs. Fortunately, despite the fact that the road is busy, at the time of the explosion there were no pedestrians, motorcyclists or other cars nearby. Only two women with minor injuries were reported.
“The vehicle was activated at a point where the shockwave reached residential areas, causing the destruction of windows, facades and affecting the integrity of the families who live in the sector,” the Army reported, and added that several of its units “maintain control of the area, while specialized explosive teams, with support from unmanned aircraft, carry out technical verifications to establish the circumstances of the event and preserve the safety of the people who make up the military unit, as well as the civilian population in the sector.”
“Since the beginning of my term (in 2024) I have asked the national government about the need to strengthen and act forcefully against the narco-terrorists of northern Cauca. In Cali we are making a great effort, but if there is no better intelligence in the rear, where they are hiding, these are the results,” emphasized mayor Eder.
An extraordinary security council was immediately activated, about which governor Toro said: “We acted immediately and in a coordinated manner in response to the attack against the Third Brigade Battalion. Cali has been a victim of terrorism and we will not relent in our fight against crime. That is why we have defined the following immediate actions: we will reinforce stations and units of the Army’s Third Division, the Cali Police and the Valle Police.”
She also announced that joint controls by the public force in Cali will be intensified to protect citizens and ensure that they feel safe. She pointed to the “Jaime Martinez” structure of the FARC dissidents as responsible. But the armed group ELN also operates in Cali.
This is a challenge for local and regional governments, since Cali, which is the third most important city in Colombia, is a target for illegal armed organizations because of its proximity to Cauca, now the epicenter of the armed conflict in Colombia due to being the setting for multiple criminal economies such as drug trafficking and illegal mining.