{"id":157,"date":"2026-05-25T07:06:46","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T07:06:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=157"},"modified":"2026-05-25T07:06:46","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T07:06:46","slug":"drone-attacks-raise-fears-as-colombians-vote-to-elect-a-new-president","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=157","title":{"rendered":"Drone attacks raise fears as Colombians vote to elect a new president"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

JAMUNDI, Colombia (AP) \u2014 Gladys Mar\u00edn only has to cross the street to reach a school where polling stations will open Sunday in her small town in Colombia<\/span>. But she\u2019s still not sure she\u2019ll make the short walk, because fears for her safety could outweigh the chance to vote for the country\u2019s next president.<\/p>\n

Read more Rubio\u2019s visit to India focuses on US trade tensions, the Quad alliance and sightseeing<\/a><\/p>\n

Her home in the southwestern village of Potrerito sits less than 100 meters (320 feet) from the police station, which has become a frequent target for drone-dropped explosives<\/span>. Authorities blame the attacks on a rebel faction that rejected a peace agreement signed a decade ago<\/span> with the Colombian government.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to stay alert to what is happening, because we live very close to the police station,\u201d Mar\u00edn said from her porch in this town about 470 kilometers from the capital, Bogot\u00e1.<\/p>\n

Colombia<\/span> will elect a new president and vice president on May 31 in what has been cast as a referendum on President Gustavo Petro\u2019s<\/span> policies, most notably his controversial \u201ctotal peace\u201d<\/span> initiative to negotiate with the country\u2019s remaining rebel groups.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

By most accounts, violence tied to armed groups has worsened under Petro\u2019s watch.<\/p>\n

According to Colombia\u2019s Electoral Observation Mission, 386 municipalities, or about a third of the country, are vulnerable to violence from illegal armed groups<\/span>, and data from the Ideas for Peace Foundation think tank indicates that roughly 27,000 people remain under arms nationwide.<\/p>\n

Drone attacks change the landscape of violence<\/h2>\n

In Robles, a neighboring town in the Jamundi municipality, the streets leading to the police station are blocked by improvised barricades. The police are entrenched in sentry posts, using shelters made of sandbags and black fabric to scan the sky for any approaching drones.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou pass by the police station with this sense of dread, looking up, hoping you won\u2019t run into a nasty surprise,\u201d said Eucaris Zamora, who had to vacate her home after a cylinder bomb struck it in October, leaving the building partially destroyed.<\/p>\n

Guillermo Londo\u00f1o, a security official in the region of Valle del Cauca, where Jamundi is located, said illegal armed groups in the area have sought to maximize damage through simultaneous, \u201cswarm-style\u201d drone strikes<\/span>, marking a shift from previous tactics, where attackers would launch attacks with a single drone, reload it, and then resume their assault.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Drones modified to drop explosives have altered the dynamics of Colombia\u2019s armed conflict since 2024, posting one of the greatest threats to civilians and security forces alike, particularly along the Venezuelan border, in northern Bolivar province and in southwestern coastal areas.<\/p>\n

Read more Australian spy boss says he shifted resources from counterterrorism before Hanukkah attack<\/a><\/p>\n

Colombia\u2019s Defense Ministry reported that drone attacks hit 333 targets in 2025, up from 61 such incidents recorded in 2024. Meanwhile, the army has recorded 107 drone attacks so far this year, which have claimed the lives of two soldiers.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

The problem with Petro\u2019s \u2018total peace\u2019 plan<\/h2>\n

Officials here believe their region has become a casualty of Petro\u2019s \u201ctotal peace\u201d strategy, aimed at putting an end to one of the world\u2019s longest-running conflicts.<\/p>\n

Petro acknowledges that the initiative has failed to achieve its hoped-for outcome of disarming illegal networks, and his approach of being open to talk to every group has hardened up a notch. He has frozen negotiations with some groups due to their continuing violence, though he has kept dialogue open with other organizations.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

A clear divide has emerged between candidates. On one side are those who favor continuing dialogue with illegal groups, such as Sen. Iv\u00e1n Cepeda, of Petro\u2019s political movement. On the other are those who say they would dismantle such efforts and prioritize military pressure, such as Sen. Paloma Valencia, of the opposition Democratic Center, and Abelardo de la Espriella, a self-described admirer of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele<\/span> who has vowed to crack down on illegal armed groups.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Dickinson, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, believes the violence could worsen if a hawkish candidate is elected.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight-wing candidates propose a \u2018hard-line\u2019 response that could exacerbate the violence, because the armed groups will respond to pressure from security forces with terror-style attacks, as they lack the means to respond symmetrically, army-to-army,\u201d Dickinson said.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

In December, gunmen sowed terror in the small southern town of Buenos Aires, launching an attack on the police station that left several officers injured and reduced a local bank and nearby homes to rubble.<\/p>\n

Among the wreckage was the home of 89-year-old Celimo Enrique Aguilar. <\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t lost faith that, someday, one might be able to live in peace,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Follow AP\u2019s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/latin-america<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Young men storm a Congo hospital treating Ebola patients to demand bodies of their kin<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gladys Mar\u00edn is unsure if she will vote in Colombia’s presidential election due to safety fears. Her town in southwestern Colombia has endured frequent drone attacks, blamed on a rebel faction. Colombia will elect a new president and vice president on May 31, with the election seen as a referendum on President Gustavo Petro\u2019s policies, including his \u201ctotal peace\u201d initiative. This strategy aims to negotiate with rebel groups but has faced criticism. Violence from illegal armed groups affects a third of the country, and drone attacks have increased, altering the dynamics of Colombia\u2019s armed conflict.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":156,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-157","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"yoast_head":"\nDrone attacks raise fears as Colombians vote to elect a new president - Top Moving Pros<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=157\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Drone attacks raise fears as Colombians vote to elect a new president - Top Moving Pros\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Gladys Mar\u00edn is unsure if she will vote in Colombia's presidential election due to safety fears. Her town in southwestern Colombia has endured frequent drone attacks, blamed on a rebel faction. Colombia will elect a new president and vice president on May 31, with the election seen as a referendum on President Gustavo Petro\u2019s policies, including his \u201ctotal peace\u201d initiative. This strategy aims to negotiate with rebel groups but has faced criticism. Violence from illegal armed groups affects a third of the country, and drone attacks have increased, altering the dynamics of Colombia\u2019s armed conflict.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=157\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Top Moving Pros\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-25T07:06:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=157#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=157\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d120f8ae15027244cf4e8ea553e290f8\"},\"headline\":\"Drone attacks raise fears as Colombians vote to elect a new president\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-25T07:06:46+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=157\"},\"wordCount\":825,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=157#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/3fab0359a1b19759e5e6055c26c79177-scaled.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"World News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=157#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=157\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=157\",\"name\":\"Drone attacks raise fears as Colombians vote to elect a new president - Top Moving Pros\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=157#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=157#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/3fab0359a1b19759e5e6055c26c79177-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-25T07:06:46+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d120f8ae15027244cf4e8ea553e290f8\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=157#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=157\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=157#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/3fab0359a1b19759e5e6055c26c79177-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/3fab0359a1b19759e5e6055c26c79177-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1706,\"caption\":\"A man rides his motorcycle past the ruins of homes destroyed five months earlier in an attack by dissidents of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, in Buenos Aires, Cauca, Colombia, Wednesday, May 20, 2026.(AP Photo\\\/Santiago Saldarriaga)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=157#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Drone attacks raise fears as Colombians vote to elect a new president\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Top Moving Pros\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d120f8ae15027244cf4e8ea553e290f8\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Drone attacks raise fears as Colombians vote to elect a new president - Top Moving Pros","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=157","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Drone attacks raise fears as Colombians vote to elect a new president - Top Moving Pros","og_description":"Gladys Mar\u00edn is unsure if she will vote in Colombia's presidential election due to safety fears. Her town in southwestern Colombia has endured frequent drone attacks, blamed on a rebel faction. Colombia will elect a new president and vice president on May 31, with the election seen as a referendum on President Gustavo Petro\u2019s policies, including his \u201ctotal peace\u201d initiative. This strategy aims to negotiate with rebel groups but has faced criticism. Violence from illegal armed groups affects a third of the country, and drone attacks have increased, altering the dynamics of Colombia\u2019s armed conflict.","og_url":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=157","og_site_name":"Top Moving Pros","article_published_time":"2026-05-25T07:06:46+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=157#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=157"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d120f8ae15027244cf4e8ea553e290f8"},"headline":"Drone attacks raise fears as Colombians vote to elect a new president","datePublished":"2026-05-25T07:06:46+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=157"},"wordCount":825,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=157#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3fab0359a1b19759e5e6055c26c79177-scaled.jpg","articleSection":["World News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=157#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=157","url":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=157","name":"Drone attacks raise fears as Colombians vote to elect a new president - Top Moving Pros","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=157#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=157#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3fab0359a1b19759e5e6055c26c79177-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2026-05-25T07:06:46+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d120f8ae15027244cf4e8ea553e290f8"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=157#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=157"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=157#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3fab0359a1b19759e5e6055c26c79177-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3fab0359a1b19759e5e6055c26c79177-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1706,"caption":"A man rides his motorcycle past the ruins of homes destroyed five months earlier in an attack by dissidents of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, in Buenos Aires, Cauca, Colombia, Wednesday, May 20, 2026.(AP Photo\/Santiago Saldarriaga)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=157#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Drone attacks raise fears as Colombians vote to elect a new president"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/","name":"Top Moving Pros","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d120f8ae15027244cf4e8ea553e290f8","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/topmovingpross.com"],"url":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=157"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/156"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=157"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=157"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}