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A truck loaded with explosives detonated near a police station in the Colombian border city of Cucuta on Saturday, injuring at least 11 people, days before President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella is set to assume office.
The blast, which occurred in Norte de Santander near the Venezuelan border, left eight police officers and three civilians injured, according to local authorities. Witnesses reported seeing the vehicle engulfed in flames, with nearby buildings damaged and security forces, soldiers and residents gathering around the scene after the explosion.
George Quintero, security secretary for Norte de Santander, described the incident as a serious act of violence.
“At this time, we have eight police officers and three civilians who have been injured. This was an atrocious, violent act… and what happened is regrettable,” Quintero told reporters.
The attack comes less than a week before De la Espriella’s inauguration on August 7 in Cali, where he will take over from left-wing President Gustavo Petro, Colombia’s first leftist leader.
The right-wing politician and millionaire lawyer has pledged a tougher approach to armed groups and drug trafficking organisations, promising to intensify military operations against groups blamed for driving Colombia’s worst security crisis in a decade.
Colombia remains the world’s largest cocaine producer, and De la Espriella has proposed strengthening security cooperation with the United States and Israel as part of his strategy to combat insurgents and criminal networks.
The president-elect’s decision to hold his inauguration in Cali, rather than the traditional venue at Congress in Bogotá, has drawn attention because the southwestern region has been heavily affected by clashes involving armed groups and drug gangs. Authorities are preparing one of the largest security operations ever mounted for a presidential swearing-in, involving about 11,000 soldiers and police officers deployed across land, sea and air.
De la Espriella had initially wanted the ceremony held at a military base in conflict-hit Cauca, but outgoing President Petro rejected the request.
The incoming president has faced threats from guerrilla groups opposed to his plan to end Petro’s peace negotiations with armed organisations. His election campaign was also marked by heightened political violence, including bomb attacks, explosive drone incidents and assaults targeting security forces.
In 2025, conservative presidential hopeful and senator Miguel Uribe Turbay was shot during a campaign event in Bogotá and later died.
De la Espriella has repeatedly claimed that there are attempts to assassinate him, adding to concerns over security ahead of his inauguration.
