Colombia is reeling after a pair of brutal attacks on August 21, 2025, left at least 18 people dead and dozens more injured, marking one of the deadliest days in the country’s recent history and underscoring a deepening security crisis. The violence—consisting of a devastating car bomb in Cali and a drone strike on a police helicopter in Antioquia—has been attributed by President Gustavo Petro and other top officials to dissident factions of the now-defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), who rejected the landmark 2016 peace deal that was supposed to end decades of conflict.
The first attack rocked Cali, Colombia’s third-largest city, when a vehicle packed with explosives detonated near the Marco Fidel Suarez Military Aviation School. According to the mayor’s office, six people died and 71 were injured in the blast, which occurred on a busy street and damaged numerous homes. Eyewitnesses described the moment as chaos. “There was a thunderous sound of something exploding near the air base,” one person told AFP, capturing the shock and fear that swept through the city. The explosion claimed civilian lives and left a trail of destruction, with emergency services scrambling to help the wounded.
Hours earlier, tragedy struck in the rural municipality of Amalfi, Antioquia. A National Police Black Hawk helicopter, on a mission to eradicate coca leaf crops—the raw material for cocaine—was downed by a drone attack as it flew over a remote area. All 12 police officers on board were killed. Antioquia Governor Andres Julian confirmed on social media that a drone had targeted the helicopter during the operation. Colombian Defence Minister Pedro Sánchez said, according to BBC, that preliminary information indicated the attack caused a fire on board, leading to the crash. Photographs and videos from the scene showed thick plumes of black smoke billowing from the forested crash site, a grim testament to the scale of the violence.
The attacks have sent shockwaves through Colombia’s political and security establishment. President Petro was quick to attribute both incidents to dissident FARC factions, specifically naming the EMC (Estado Mayor Central), a federation of groups that refused to lay down arms after the 2016 peace agreement. In a social media post, Petro described the suspect detained near the Cali bombing as a member of the EMC, “subordinate” to drug traffickers. He also initially pointed a finger at the Gulf Clan—the country’s largest active drug cartel—suggesting that the helicopter attack was retaliation for a cocaine seizure that allegedly belonged to the group. “The state will not yield to terrorism. These crimes will be pursued and punished with the full force of the law,” Colombia’s Ministry of Defence declared on social media, vowing an uncompromising response.
The immediate aftermath saw swift action by local authorities. Alejandro Eder, Cali’s mayor, declared martial law in the city and imposed a temporary ban on large trucks entering urban areas, hoping to prevent further attacks and facilitate the investigation. He also announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to the perpetrators. Meanwhile, President Petro and military leaders convened a high-level security council to “define additional protection measures” for citizens, reflecting the government’s alarm at the scale and sophistication of the violence.
Colombia’s security crisis has been simmering for months, with a noticeable uptick in violence involving clashes between security forces, dissident rebels, paramilitaries, and drug gangs. According to BBC, drone attacks have become increasingly common: in 2024 alone, 115 such attacks were recorded, most carried out by illegal armed groups. Just last week, three soldiers were killed in a drone strike in the country’s southwest, where explosive devices were dropped on a military checkpoint. The use of drones, once a rarity, is now a hallmark of the evolving tactics employed by armed groups in Colombia’s lawless hinterlands.
Behind the violence lies a complex web of criminal interests and political grievances. Both FARC dissidents and the Gulf Clan operate in Antioquia, an area notorious for drug trafficking and illegal armed activity. The helicopter targeted in Amalfi was engaged in coca eradication—a government priority, but one that puts security forces in the crosshairs of traffickers and rebels alike. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime reported that coca leaf cultivation reached a record 253,000 hectares in Colombia in 2023, a stark reminder of the persistent challenges facing authorities. Defence Minister Pedro Sánchez, quoted by BBC, called the Cali blast a "terrorist attack" and blamed "the narco cartel alias Mordisco," referring to FARC dissident leader Ivan Mordisco. He characterized the attack as “a desperate reaction to the loss of control over drug trafficking in Valle del Cauca, Cauca, and Nariño, where the Public Force has neutralized much of this threat.”
The attacks have also reignited debate over Colombia’s peace process and the government’s ability to maintain order. The dissident FARC factions behind the violence are those who rejected the 2016 peace deal, which aimed to end more than half a century of internal conflict that claimed over 450,000 lives. Now, with elections looming next year, the surge in attacks poses fresh challenges for the country’s fragile peace and the credibility of its leadership. President Petro, facing mounting pressure, has called for the Gulf Clan and armed dissidents to be “considered terrorists and pursued anywhere on the planet.”
Ordinary Colombians, meanwhile, are left to grapple with the fallout. Martial law in Cali and heightened security measures across Antioquia have disrupted daily life, while the fear of further violence lingers. The government’s promises of justice and increased protection offer some reassurance, but many worry that the underlying drivers of conflict—drug trafficking, poverty, and political exclusion—remain unresolved. The recent escalation is a sobering reminder of the fragility of peace in a country where old wounds run deep and new threats are constantly emerging.
As Colombia mourns its dead and tends to its wounded, the road ahead looks uncertain. The attacks of August 21 have laid bare the enduring power of armed groups and the immense challenges facing those who seek to build a safer, more stable nation. For now, the government’s resolve is being tested—and the world is watching how Colombia responds to this latest crisis.
