Rebel-fuelled violence derails leftist president’s ‘Total Peace’ plan in Colombia

People attend a mass burial of victims of an April 25 highway bombing at the local cemetery in Cajibio, Colombia on April 28, 2026. The bomb attack, Colombia's deadliest on civilians in decades, comes in the run-up to key elections. Photo by JOAQUIN SARMIENTO/AFP via Getty Images

Article content

BOGOTA, COLOMBIA – On Saturday afternoon, the southern stretch of Colombia’s sprawling Pan-American highway was packed with vehicles ferrying farmers and Indigenous villagers.

Article content

But soon after midday, an improvised explosive device tore through over a dozen cars and minibuses trapped in an illegal roadblock. At least 20 people were killed, with another 56 injured, making it one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in Colombia’s recent history.

Article content

Article content

Article content

Authorities were quick to identify the culprits: the Central General Staff (known as EMC), an offshoot of the now-defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) who refused to lay down arms in a 2016 peace deal.

Article content

Article content

For many citizens, the attack was yet another sign of the deteriorating security landscape in much of the country.

Article content

Civilians in the crossfire

Article content

While many international observers drew a line under Colombia’s long-running armed conflict following the 2016 peace deal, the past years have seen a resurgence in violence as a cabal of armed groups vie for territorial control at the expense of civilians.

Article content

The EMC in particular has earned a reputation for its brutal tactics, according to analysts.

Article content

“They are characterized by a strong, heightened aggressiveness toward the civilian population,” said Laura Bonilla, deputy director at the Peace and Reconciliation Foundation, a Bogotá-based think tank.

Article content

As well as Saturday’s highway bombing, the EMC was blamed for dozens more attacks over the weekend in multiple Colombian provinces, underlining its vicious stranglehold on swaths of territory in the South American nation.

Article content

Article content

The militia has paved the way in the uptake of new battlefield technology – particularly drones, with analysts describing it as the most advanced rebel group when it comes to modern warfare.

Article content

Article content

“It has become clear that this criminal group’s capabilities have surpassed those of law enforcement, and there is, so to speak, no strategy in place to stem its advance,” said Gerson Arias, conflict and security investigator at the Colombian Ideas for Peace Foundation.

Article content

This weekend’s wave of attacks was a way for the EMC to flex its dominion over southwestern Colombia, where it considers itself to be the de-facto authority.

Article content

Pitfalls of Petro’s peace

Article content

It also signals a broader security crisis across the country.

Article content

Rights groups say Colombia is posting the highest rates of displacement, forced confinement, and victims of explosive attacks in a decade as the armed conflict heats up.

Article content

In recent years, new militias like the EMC have risen from the ashes of the FARC while old groups have consolidated power.

Article content

Since 2018, the number of armed group fighters has more than doubled to 27,000.