A Colombian police patrol was attacked Wednesday afternoon with an explosive device in the municipality of Tibú, northeastern department of Norte de Santander, leaving at least two uniformed officers and a civilian dead and ten wounded.
Through his Twitter account, Colombian President Gustavo Petro condemned the attack and warned that those responsible for the attack perpetrated in the region known as El Catatumbo would be sought.
“I reject the terrorist action in Tibú, Norte de Santander, against the lives of our policemen. An embrace of solidarity for the families of the victims of this atrocious act. This criminal act will not go unpunished,” he said.
For its part, the Ministry of Defense offered a reward of 200 million pesos (approximately 45,000 dollars) to anyone who provided information on the material and intellectual authors of the attack that left part of the area where the vehicle exploded without electricity service.
The Office of the High Commissioner for Peace issued an official statement that it regretted the events and stressed that they generate “an atmosphere of fear and anxiety contrary to the construction of peace that is taking place in the territory of Catatumbo”.
He also expressed his condolences to the victims’ families.
He assured that the Government would continue to bet on peace through dialogue and social justice to overcome violence throughout the national territory.
“We Colombians who are committed to the path of dialogue regret the violent death of any human being, and we continue to assume the challenge of building a country in which violence will never again be imposed on life,” he concluded.
Members of the Police and the National Army arrived at the area of the events to reinforce security.
At the same time, the wounded were transferred in helicopters to the city of Cúcuta, where they are being treated.
Although no armed group has claimed responsibility for the attack, the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrillas and part of the FARC dissidents commit crimes in this area of Colombia, where the Minister of Defense, Iván Velásquez, had scheduled a visit this week.
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