A bomb-laden bus exploded on Colombia's Pan-American Highway in Cauca department on April 25, 2026, killing 19 people and injuring 38 others, with the blast flipping cars and creating a large crater. President Gustavo Petro blamed Ivan Mordisco, Colombia's most-wanted criminal, for the attack, which followed 26 recorded attacks over two days in the region. The violence occurs just weeks before Colombia's May 31, 2026 presidential election, where security has become a central issue after conservative frontrunner Miguel Uribe Turbay was assassinated in June 2025. Leftist Senator Ivan Cepeda, architect of Petro's negotiation policy with armed groups, leads in polls against right-wing candidates Abelardo de la Espriella and Paloma Valencia, who pledge hardline approaches against rebels.
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