Colombian President Abelardo De La Espriella issued a stern warning to regional officials on Tuesday, September 1, after a bombing blamed on the National Liberation Army (ELN) rebel group struck Los Patios, a town in the Cúcuta metropolitan area near the border with Venezuela. The attack left one civilian dead and 11 people injured.
De La Espriella canceled his schedule for the day and, after swearing in new magistrates to Colombia’s National Electoral Council, flew to Norte de Santander’s capital to personally lead an emergency security meeting with the country’s top military and police commanders.
“We are going to fight and free every department from violence. The criminal alliances are over: we will not allow any official to align with these thugs, because we will make them pay with full determination,” the president said, without naming any specific local or regional leader.
The security meeting got off to a rocky start: Cúcuta’s mayor, Jorge Enrique Acevedo Peñaloza, skipped it entirely, remaining in Bogotá, while Norte de Santander’s governor, William Villamizar, showed up late.
De La Espriella pledged an “iron fist” response, promising to hunt down those responsible, dismantle their networks, and restore calm to affected communities. “Colombia does not kneel before terrorism,” he declared, framing his administration as one focused on “facts and results, not speeches.”
For the full story and more details, check out the original report at eltiempo.com.
Source: Duro mensaje de Abelardo De La Espriella tras atentado en Cúcuta: 'No vamos a permitir que se alinee con bandidos' (eltiempo.com). English version produced with AI assistance.
Image: U.S. Naval War College, BY 2.0 (via Openverse).