Following a car bomb attack on the Pan-American Highway in southwestern Colombia, the newly installed government vows a firm response. The incident occurred just a day after lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella took office as president. Authorities suspect the Saturday attack was orchestrated by two armed groups that had split from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a former rebel group that demobilized following a peace agreement with the government in 2016. The explosion targeted a toll plaza on the Pan-American Highway in the coastal department of Cauca, causing minor injuries to two security guards. A witness reported that an individual detonated the bomb and fled the scene on a motorcycle. In response, Transportation Minister Elsa Noguera declared that Colombia will not succumb to violence and will protect the infrastructure linking its regions. She emphasized President de la Espriella's pledge to combat narco-terrorism and reduce criminal activity during his term. The hardline president, who campaigned on a promise to crack down on armed groups, faces challenges in addressing deeply rooted issues such as Colombia's ongoing internal conflict between paramilitaries, rebels, government forces, and criminal networks. Colombian presidents are not eligible for re-election, and de la Espriella narrowly defeated his leftist opponent, Senator Ivan Cepeda, in a June run-off election. De la Espriella has pledged to return Colombia to a more militarized approach, with support from US President Donald Trump's administration, which has promised $1bn in security aid and aims to expand US military involvement across Latin America in the name of combatting crime and narcotics trafficking. However, these tactics have raised concerns from human rights groups about potential abuses by government forces.