Dissidents of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia attacked a police station in the southwestern town of Carmelo on Sunday, killing one police officer and wounding four people, authorities said.
The Colombian army said on the social platform X that troops entered Carmelo in the Cauca department to restore order after what it described as “terrorist actions” that appeared to be carried out in response to a recent police operation against criminal groups in the area. The army said armed groups used local residents as human shields to impede troops from entering the area to support police efforts.
Local videos shared by the press and residents showed people taking shelter from gunfire and footage of the assault on the police installation, with gunfire and grenade explosions audible as officers called for help. The governor of Cauca, Octavio Guzmán, posted on X that he had made an urgent appeal to Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez for the restoration of public order and protection of the local population.
Authorities attributed the attack to dissident factions of the now-defunct FARC, the guerrilla organization that for decades carried out assassinations, kidnappings and bombings before a 2016 peace agreement that some splinter groups rejected. The dissidents operating in the region are reportedly under the command of Néstor Gregorio Vera, known as Iván Mordisco, who is among the most wanted figures in the country and whose factions withdrew from recent peace talks with the government of President Gustavo Petro.
The army provided no immediate breakdown of the wounded, and it was not clear whether the injured were police officers, civilians or both. The attack follows at least one similar incident in the Cauca department in late August in which at least three police officers were injured.
Security forces have increased operations in parts of Cauca in recent months as they try to dislodge illicit groups that contest state control over territory, drug-trafficking routes and illegal mining sites. Government officials have repeatedly said such operations draw violent responses from armed groups that oppose the 2016 accord.
Officials did not provide a timeline for any planned further operations in Carmelo or details about arrests. Investigations into the attack and assessments of civilian harm were underway, the army said, and authorities appealed for calm while security forces sought to reestablish control in the affected area.