✅ Un soldado fallecido y cuatro heridos en ataque a patrulla del ejército colombiano

One soldier dead and four injured was the result of an explosive attack on a Colombian Army platoon that occurred early Wednesday morning in a rural area of Norte de Santander, a department bordering Venezuela.

The government condemned the events and reported that the «explosive attack» occurred in the municipality of El Tarra, when unknown individuals threw devices at a group of soldiers.

In the area, both the guerrilla group National Liberation Army (ELN) and the dissidents of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) operate. Both groups are engaged in peace talks with the government of President Gustavo Petro.

With the ELN, on Monday, the fourth cycle of negotiations began in Caracas, in which both parties have expressed their focus on issues such as the participation of civil society in the peacebuilding process. There has been a ceasefire in place with this guerrilla group since August 3rd.

On July 9th, the Office of the High Commissioner for Peace, attached to the Colombian government, announced the start of talks with the FARC dissidence known as the Central High Command. In Norte de Santander, another group of dissidents from the peace agreement with the FARC is also operating, led by Carlos Eduardo García, alias Andrey Avendaño.

In addition to this incident, there was also an attack on a police substation in the municipality of La Gabarra, in the same department, on Wednesday.

According to the police commander of Norte de Santander, Colonel John Robert Chavarro Romero, the attack was carried out with «improvised explosives and gunfire». However, the quick reaction of the police and the army managed to repel the action and there were no fatalities or injuries.

On Wednesday, there were also citizen marches in some cities in Colombia to protest, precisely, the increase in violent actions in several areas of the country. According to authorities’ reports, there were mobilizations in Bogotá, Medellín, and Cali.

The president spoke out about the protests – in which his potential involvement in the case of investigations against Petro’s son for money laundering is also being investigated – and stated: «No one will prevent you from marching. But I would march not to prevent change, but against corruption and impunity.»