Description: Several parts of Colombia became targets of bomb and gun attacks which left seven people dead and more than 50 injured. The deadly attacks happened overnight, two days after opposition senator Miguel Uribe was targeted in an assassination attempt which left him with life threatening injuries and in critical condition. The attacks in Cali, Villa Rica, Guachinte and Corinto were suspected to have been conducted by a splinter organization from the disbanded Revolutionary Armed Fores of Colombia (FARC) called Central General Staff (EMC), according to early reports from the police. Investigations into Uribe’s assassination attempt and the bombing attacks are initially correlated with the growing gang and militant violence in the country perpetrated by groups such as Colombia’s National Liberation Army (ELN), dissidents from FARC as well as narco – cartels and other organized crime groups.
Impact: The security crisis in Colombia further deteriorates after Uribe’s assassination attempt and the recent bombing attacks. President Gustavo Petro suspended peace talks with militant groups such as the ELN in Jan and dispatched the Colombian military to tackle the crisis which hasn’t had much success in combating ELN rebels nor offshoot organizations from FARC who are fighting for prevalence over the country’s illegal drug trade routes. Burdened by corrupted governance and suffocating from armed confrontations, Colombia’s security situation would continue to deteriorate in the short to mid – term. The assassination attempt on Uribe could prompt the initiation of a political crisis, as the senator has been a vocal critic of President’s Petro’s policies in tackling gang and armed violence with militant and organized crime groups