Tragic Incident: Six Killed in Colombia Armed Attack Shocks the Nation

BOGOTA — At least six people were killed and several others seriously injured in an armed attack Thursday in a rural region of southwest Colombia where armed groups are involved in drug trafficking, authorities said.

Men with “short and long-range weapons” opened fire at a property near the city of Popayan in Cauca department, according to municipal secretary Felipe Acosta. Attackers killed one person found outside the property and five others inside.

The conflict-ridden, coca-growing region is fought over by dissidents of the now-disbanded FARC guerrilla army. Authorities have no clear leads on the attackers and are waiting for police to enter the area with army support.

Popayan Mayor Juan Carlos Munoz said an unknown number of people were “seriously injured.” The attack marks the 36th mass killing recorded in Colombia this year, according to the Institute for Development and Peace Studies — a record high since the FARC peace deal in 2016.

President Gustavo Petro, who took office in 2022 aiming to reach peace with dissident groups, has made no significant progress with four months left in his term.

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