A car bomb detonated in the Colombian border city of Cucuta on Saturday, wounding at least 11 people. The violent attack comes just days before Abelardo de la Espriella, the country's newly elected right-wing president, is scheduled to assume office.
Security secretary George Quintero confirmed the casualty toll to reporters, stating that eight police officers and three civilians sustained injuries in the blast. While no group has officially claimed responsibility, Cucuta—located near the Venezuelan border—is a known flashpoint for armed factions, including the National Liberation Army (ELN), FARC dissidents, and the Clan del Golfo cartel.
De la Espriella, who will succeed Colombia’s first left-wing president, Gustavo Petro, on August 7, swiftly denounced the violence on the social media platform X, condemning the strike on the National Police as a cowardly act.
"Terrorism will not intimidate Colombia or break Colombians’ determination to live in peace and security," he declared.
The incoming president, a millionaire lawyer and businessman who has never held public office, campaigned on a promise of ruthless crackdowns on rebel groups and drug traffickers. His election signals a dramatic ideological shift for the nation, which has endured over six decades of internal armed conflict. Outgoing President Petro had advocated for peace negotiations and shifted anti-drug policies away from targeting small-scale coca farmers, a stance that frequently put him at odds with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Conversely, de la Espriella has warmly embraced Trump's militaristic anti-narcotics strategies and praised hardline figures like El Salvador's Nayib Bukele. He has promised to construct megaprisons and aggressively eliminate drug trafficking operations.
"Any plane that takes off loaded with drugs — as commander-in-chief, I will order the Air Force to shoot it down," de la Espriella stated during his campaign. "Any boat that sets out loaded with drugs, I will order it sunk with the people on board."
Colombia's recent election cycle was heavily plagued by violence, highlighted by the tragic 2025 assassination of right-wing presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay, who was shot at a rally in Bogota.
Amidst claims of active assassination plots against him, de la Espriella initially requested to hold his inauguration at a military garrison in Cauca—a plan vetoed by Petro. Instead, the transfer of power will take place at Bogota's City Hall under an enormous security umbrella, featuring a deployment of 11,000 police and military personnel.