The inauguration of conservative populist President Abelardo de la Espriella proceeded without disruption in Cali on Friday afternoon.
But illegal armed groups, as had been expected, responded with widespread attacks against security forces and state infrastructure, killing one police officer and wounding at least four others.
About 13 attacks were recorded between Friday afternoon and Saturday morning in 11 departments, the majority targeting police stations and substations, army bases and municipal government buildings.
The attacks were concentrated in the southwestern departments of Cauca and Narino, with further incidents in Cesar, Bolivar and Antioquia to the north, Caldas, Tolima and Huila in the central Andes, Meta and Guaviare in the east and Arauca on the Venezuelan border.
Most attacks involved explosives dropped from drones. Others employed vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIED), thrown improvised devices and grenades.
The majority were attributed to factions of the Central General Staff (Spanish abbr: EMC) headed by Nestor Gregorio Vera Fernandez, alias Ivan Mordisco, who previously ended peace talks with the government.
Notably, there were no attacks in major cities.
But the National Liberation Army (Spanish abbr: ELN) in recent months has conducted numerous shooting attacks, roadside bombings, VBIED attacks and explosive drone attacks in Cali, the capital of Valle del Cauca Department and Colombia’s third-largest city; Popayan, the capital of Cauca Department; and Cucuta, the capital of Norte de Santander Department on the Venezuelan border.
Armed groups have on occasion deliberately targeted civilians.
The presidency of de la Espriella, who campaigned on confronting the EMC, the ELN and other illegal armed groups through military force, appears likely to usher in a level of nationwide conflict between armed groups and the security forces not seen in years.
In his inaugural address, he declared dialogue with illegal armed groups completely exhausted.
He appointed as his defense minister retired Major General Jorge Eduardo Mora, former commander of the National Army’s Special Forces Division, signaling his intent to wage war on armed groups.
He has promised to issue a formal list of narcoterrorist organizations, which he said would give the security forces legal cover for combat operations against them.
He has vowed to build maximum-security mega prisons, grant police and soldiers legal protection from prosecution for conduct in the line of duty and resume aerial spraying of more than 320,000 hectares of coca under cultivation, among other measures.
Personnel in Cali (Valle del Cauca Department), Popayan (Cauca Department), and Cucuta (Norte de Santander Department) should maintain heightened vigilance and take stringent precautions against potential ELN and EMC guerrilla attacks in the coming days.
Travel should be restricted to urban areas, with intercity highway travel avoided wherever possible.
Personnel should maintain a wide berth from police stations, military bases, groups of police officers, and police or military convoys, which are frequent targets of shooting attacks, explosive-drone strikes, and VBIED attacks by armed groups.
Visits to municipal government offices in Cali, as well as throughout the rural townships in Valle del Cauca and Cauca, should be avoided as well.
In general, travel to rural areas in which the ELN and EMC are active should not be undertaken without fresh intelligence on routes and places to be visited and, in many cases, protective escorts.
The ELN is especially active in Norte de Santander, Santander, La Guajira, Arauca, Boyaca, Cesar, Bolivar, Antioquia and Choco departments in northern Colombia, Valle del Cauca, Cauca and Narino in the south and Vichada in the east.
The EMC and other FARC dissidents are active in Norte de Santander, Santander and Antioquia in the north, the central departments of Tolima, Arauca, Casanare, Meta, Guaviare and Vichada and the southern departments of Cauca, Valle del Cauca, Narino, Huila, Putumayo, Caqueta, Amazonas and Vaupes.
Rural areas outside of Popayan, the capital of Cauca, and rural areas outside of Cali, the capital of Valle del Cauca, should not be entered at this time.
Travel to and from Alfonso Bonilla Aragon International Airport, located 13 miles (21 kilometers) northeast of central Cali, should only be conducted during daylight hours.
Cali’s eastern working-class districts and hillside slum neighborhoods should be avoided at all times.
Pedestrian activity is discouraged throughout Cali, even during daylight hours.
Personnel visiting Cali on business should be provided with a trained security driver in a low-profile vehicle. Senior executives should be accompanied by both a trained driver and an armed escort. Low-profile armored vehicles (Level III) may be utilized as they are common in Cali and do not draw attention.
Cucuta, the capital of Norte de Santander, should be visited only on essential business and with security escorts. The Catatumbo region of Norte de Santander should be completely off-limits.
Oil and oil-service companies and mining concerns operating in areas in which guerrillas or criminal gangs are present should maintain comprehensive security programs.
