# Car bomb hits Colombia a day after new president takes office 2026-08-09T02:06:05+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet A car bomb exploded at a toll plaza on the Pan-American Highway in southwestern Colombia on Saturday, a day after Abelardo de la Espriella was sworn in as president. The army says two security guards suffered minor injuries and blames two dissident groups of the former FARC guerrilla movement. The blast hit the road linking the departments of Cauca and Valle del Cauca, where de la Espriella was inaugurated on Friday. The new president also ordered the transfer of 117 prisoners linked to past peace talks to eight maximum-security prisons. In his inaugural speech, de la Espriella warned armed groups they must "submit to the rule of law or confront the security forces". His predecessor Gustavo Petro has refused to acknowledge his victory and alleges electoral fraud, despite official confirmation by Colombia’s electoral authority and positive assessments from international observers. ## Coverage - indiatoday.in - timesofindia.indiatimes.com Tags: Abelardo De La Espriella, car bomb, Cauca, Colombia, FARC dissidents, security crackdown Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/colombia-car-bomb-tests-new-presidents-security-crackdown/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/colombia-car-bomb-tests-new-presidents-security-crackdown/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.