Overview
- Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez said there is a likely terrorism threat to the inauguration, a warning he made public on Wednesday as leaders prepared to travel to Cali for Friday’s ceremony.
- Colombia’s armed forces will deploy about 11,000 troops to secure the city and authorities have imposed a no-fly zone for drones because insurgents have used drones to drop explosives in past attacks.
- Police reported finding and neutralizing a vehicle loaded with explosives near Cali in the run-up to the inauguration, an operation officials say aimed at preventing an attack on civilians and security forces.
- President-elect Abelardo De la Espriella moved the handover from Bogotá to Cali despite the city’s proximity to Cauca, and outgoing President Gustavo Petro, who has disputed the result, will not attend the ceremony.
- Cauca-based FARC dissidents under leaders linked to Iván Mordisco operate near the region, and the heightened security posture ahead of the ceremony points to a likely shift toward tougher counterinsurgency policies that will affect civilians and regional stability.