As this publication reported on September 20th, 2023, at least three people were killed and 20 wounded when a large car bomb detonated outside of a police station and military base in Cauca, Colombia. By September 22nd, a FARC-EP dissident group announced that it was suspending operations against state security forces until October 8th, 2023 and it regretted the bombing in Cauca. That announcement reads below:

However, the Colombian government appears to have gone on the offensive after the attack. According to the Colombian Investigative Journalism Agency, the Colombian Minister of Defense effectively rejected the ceasefire on September 22nd. He said:

“We hope that this announcement is genuine and comes from these structures in southwestern Colombia, but it does not mean that the public force will reduce its operations.”

That announcement has reportedly borne fruit as the Colombian Military Forces General Command announced today that 20 FARC-EP dissident members were killed and 17 were arrested during Colombian Army operation “Trueno” in Cauca. That announcement reads below:

“The military actions by land, river and air are directed, mainly, against the Carlos Patiño, Jaime Martínez and Dagoberto Ramos structures, accused of multiple crimes such as those that occurred last week where two vehicles loaded with explosives were activated, mainly affecting to the civilian population.

This is why the General Command of the Military Forces ordered the sending of more than 200 men from the National Army, who will support the troops that are already in offensive actions, mainly in the north and south of the department.

They will be joined by components and equipment, human and technical, from the Navy and the Aerospace Force who will be essential to detect and affect the main routes and mobility corridors of criminals, as well as their illicit economies derived mainly from drug trafficking, extortion and the illicit exploitation of mining deposits.

Helicopters, planes, unmanned aircraft, boats, as well as ground patrols in key and strategic places are some of the tools that the General Command of the Military Forces had to block the terrorist intentions of these organized armed groups.

Likewise, these six platoons have been deployed in municipalities of the department considered as priority areas, such as Suárez, Miranda, Buenos Aires, Santander de Quilichao, Caloto and Corinto.

It is precisely the Micay Canyon, a place in Cauca where criminals have historically had a criminal presence, the place that in recent days was retaken by the Military Forces, and where they have identified that around the dismantled guerrilla camps there are hundreds hectares of illicit crops.”