UN condemns terrorist attacks in Colombia

Hours earlier, another attack, apparently with a drone, against a police helicopter from the anti-drug brigade in the town of Amalfi, in the department of Antioquia, killed at least twelve police officers.

The United Nations office urged non-state armed groups to “respect human rights and international humanitarian law (IHL), in particular the principle of distinction,” which requires differentiating between combatants and the civilian population, to avoid attacks against people not involved in the conflict.

"We call on the State to assist the victims and advance the relevant investigations to clarify the facts and ensure justice," he added.

This second attack occurred on Thursday afternoon near the Marco Fidel Suárez Military Aviation School, on a busy avenue in Cali, the main city in the southwest of the country.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro attributed the events to the Estado Mayor Central (EMC), the largest dissident group of the former FARC guerrilla group, and stated that they were a “terrorist reaction” to an offensive by the Colombian army in the Cañón del Micay region, in the neighboring department of Cauca, against the armed group.

Regarding the attack in Amalfi, Antioch, the United Nations office condemned “the violent death of 12 police officers and an as yet undetermined number of injuries resulting from the attack on the helicopter in which they were traveling while carrying out public security duties.”