On Thursday in southwestern Colombia, explosives that were allegedly placed by FARC around an electricity structure were detonated, killing five and leaving six injured. The explosions also knocked down three transformer towers in the Nariño department.
Earlier Thursday morning, a suspected bomb was also detonated in the Cauca region of the southwest department, damaging the power station and surrounding houses. For this incident, there are no reported fatalities and the electricity in the area was not affected.
Both these attacks happened after last week’s alleged FARC landmines killed three electricity workers while they were doing tower repairs in the town of Tumaco. Since this attack, the town and surrounding area have been without electricity or water for six days as workers fear entering the area.
These are examples of a string of ongoing attacks throughout this particular region between the rebel group, the military, and locals. The FARC have been suspected of placing landmines within the area and around energy towers. When workers enter to fix blasted towers, the landmines become detonated. Whether the workers are targeted or not is unknown.
So far, in the past week, there have been reports of two other incidents resulting in death, including one of a 17-year old boy.
The military is trying to work closely with the region’s energy company, Cedenar, to restore power to the approximate 150,000 people for next Tuesday.
“I express anger, rejection and condemn the criminals In the face of what the terrorist groups in Nariño have done,” the minister of Mining and Energy, Mauricio Cardenas, tweeted.
