Colombia Base Attack Kills 4 Including Baby After Gas Cylinder Rockets Hit Hospital In Planadas

Bogota: At least 4 civilians, including a 2-month-old baby, were killed after an attack on a military base in southern Colombia. President Abelardo de la Espriella confirmed the incident on Monday, stating that the assault took place on Sunday night in Planadas, a town in Tolima province. 

According to Planadas Mayor Juan Camilo Hueje, unidentified assailants fired rockets made from gas cylinders at the military base. Some of the projectiles missed the base and struck a nearby hospital and homes located opposite the facility.

The mayor said that a school building was being used to treat those injured in the attack.

In a post on Facebook on Monday, Mayor Hueje condemned the attack, writing, “We reject this attack that affected our hospital, put the lives of patients and medical personnel at risk, hit homes and left families in grief. Planadas deserves to live in peace.”

President de la Espriella, in a post on X, stated that a police officer had recently been killed in southern Colombia and that rebel groups had continued to stage attacks on toll booths in Cauca, in the southwest of the country. He added, “We will use the full capacity of the state to finish off these criminal structures. We will continue to bomb legitimate targets, intensify special operations and move forward with the reactivation of aerial spraying,” of coca fields.

Colombia’s Human Rights Ombudswoman Iris Marin asserted that two rebel groups have been fighting for control of the area around Planadas since 2022. She noted that violence has intensified recently as the military carried out operations against illegal gold mines near the town, and said Sunday’s attack was an infringement of international humanitarian law.

Peace Deal Legacy Under Strain As Attacks Rise

A 2016 peace agreement between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) had reduced violence in several rural regions, including villages around Planadas. However, violence has increased in recent years as smaller drug gangs and rebel groups fight over territory vacated by the FARC.

De la Espriella suspended peace talks with Colombia’s remaining rebel groups after taking office in August and launched a new security strategy prioritising military pressure. His government has increased airstrikes against rebel groups and established a joint task force to protect a key pipeline from rebel attacks.

In response, some rebel groups have staged explosive attacks along highways, attempted to impose lockdowns on civilians, and targeted police stations and military bases within cities. According to ACLED, a research group that monitors global conflicts, state forces and illegal armed groups carried out 34 attacks with bombs or explosives in Colombia during the four-week period ending October 16, a 9% increase from last year’s 4-week average. The figure includes drone attacks by rebel groups, improvised attacks using gas cylinders like those used in Planadas, and airstrikes launched by the military on rebel camps.