A bomb blast on the Pan-American Highway in southwestern Colombia killed at least seven people on Saturday. The roadside explosion is part of a wider wave of attacks targeting security forces and civilians in a region currently gripped by violence.
President Gustavo Petro and local authorities have blamed the attack on a cocaine-trafficking militia comprised of dissidents from the now-disbanded FARC guerrilla army. These groups are reportedly sowing violence across the country.
The surge of attacks comes just weeks before the country's presidential election in May. In response to the explosion, authorities in the Cauca region are demanding decisive government action.