Colombia Car Bomb blast injures 16 persons

A suspected car bomb blast that occurred on Friday in Western Colombia has injured about 16 persons, according to reports.

Most of the injured were employees of the Corinto municipality in the Cauca Department, and at least two seriously injured people were taken to the city of Cali, according to Colombian reports.

The attack is currently being attributed to dissidents from the former Guerilla organization FARC. Friday marked the anniversary of the death of FARC founder Manuel Marulanda, also known as Tirofijo.

"We will not stop pursuing terrorism where we find it," President Ivan Duque said in a video message.

Colombia was gripped for more than 50 years by an armed conflict between the military, left-wing Guerilla groups and right-wing paramilitaries.

The biggest rebel group, the FARC, signed a historic peace deal with the state in 2016.

The security situation in the South American country has improved since then, but the peace is fragile, and Cauca is one of the areas most often affected by attacks.

FARC members are still fighting against the government and for a share in the drug trade. The smaller ELN group is also still active, and other crime syndicates have emerged in former FARC-dominated regions.

---GNA