21 hours ago
Vanessa BuschschlüterLatin America online editor
Colombian Defence Ministry
The defence minister accused alias ‘Marlon’ of ordering a wave of attacks
Colombia’s Defence Minister Pedro Sánchez says he is offering a record reward for information leading to the capture of a rebel leader known as “Marlon”.
The attack is one of the deadliest targeting civilians and comes just over a month before presidential elections scheduled for 31 May.
Sánchez said the 5bn peso ($1.4m; £1m) reward for “Marlon” was the highest offered by Colombia.
The defence minister accused “Marlon” of being behind Saturday’s attack as well as a series of others in the provinces of Cauca and Valle del Cauca, in south-western Colombia, over the weekend. No evidence or details have been released.
In the deadliest of these incidents, 15 women and five men were killed when an explosive device was detonated on the motorway connecting the cities of Cali and Popayán, the governor of Cauca province said.
Several buses and other vehicles were destroyed in the blast, which opened up a huge crater.
“Marlon” belongs to an armed group led by a dissident rebel known by the alias of Iván Mordisco, Colombia’s most wanted man.
Mordisco once formed part of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) but broke away from the rebel group as it negotiated the 2016 peace deal with the government.
He is considered to be Colombia’s most powerful dissident rebel leader. His group engages in illegal mining and extortion as well as drug trafficking.
Cauca Governor Octavio Guzmán described Saturday’s explosive attack as the “most brutal and ruthless attack against the civilian population in decades”.
President Gustavo Petro described those behind it as “terrorists, fascists and drug traffickers” and ordered additional troops to the region.
Petro’s term ends in August of this year. Barred by the constitution from running for a second term, he has given his backing to the left-wing candidate, Iván Cepeda.
Opinion polls suggest that Cepeda, who has called for more negotiation efforts with the rebels, is currently ahead of several candidates from the right-wing opposition, who are calling for a tougher approach.
The new president is due to be chosen on 31 May, with a possible run-off scheduled for 21 June.
