2019 Bogotá car bombing

Colombian conflict The Colombian conflict started in 1964, although systematic violence in the country can be dated since the end of the 19th century (Thousand Days' War). The National Liberation Army (ELN) is one of the most prominent participants of the ongoing conflict. For decades, residents of Bogotá lived in fear of being a victim of a bombing by leftist rebels or Pablo Escobar's Medellín drug cartel. But as Colombia's conflict has wound down, and the nation's largest rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) disarmed under a 2016 peace deal, security has improved and attacks have become less frequent. Sporadic attacks have affected the city since the peace deal was initiated. The most prominent was an explosion at the upmarket Andino shopping mall in June 2017 which killed three people, including a French woman, and injured another 11. Police later arrested several suspected members of a far-left urban guerrilla group called the People Revolutionary's Movement for the bombing. Peace dialogue The 2016 peace deal between the FARC and Colombian government resulted in the ELN gaining strength in the region. The Colombian government has attempted to establish peace dialogue with the ELN since 2017, though ELN groups have rejected conditions placed by the government, such as the end of criminal actions including violent attacks and kidnappings. Between 2017 and up until the attack, Colombian officials stated that the ELN had participated in at least 400 terrorist attacks in the nation since dialogue began, ELN in Venezuela According to InSight Crime, the ELN and FARC dissidents allegedly met together in Venezuela to form a potential alliance in October 2018. Sources based in the Arauca department in Colombia provided the information, with reports that the groups would participate in illicit activity together. It was also alleged that former FARC commander Iván Márquez participated in the talks with the ELN. In November 2018, InSight Crime also reported that the ELN was present in over twelve Venezuelan states, spanning from the Colombia-Venezuela border in the west across Venezuela and into Brazil and Guyana to the east. Insight Crime states that Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro was tolerant of the ELN, explaining that "ELN’s expansion in Venezuela has been marked by the Maduro administration’s inaction and even encouragement towards the group", with reports from Venezuelan NGO Fundación Redes that the Venezuelan military had possibly armed ELN members. ==Events==

Planning Attorney General Néstor Humberto Martínez identified the perpetrator as José Aldemar Rojas Rodríguez, known as "Mocho Kiko" because of his missing hand due to a previous explosion, a 57-year-old from the northern department of Boyacá. The bombing, according to Colombian authorities, had been planned for more than ten months. In May 2018, Colombian records show that Rojas purchased a 1993 Nissan Patrol from Mauricio Mosquera, who was previously charged with terrorism and rebellion. to the campus of the General Santander National Police Academy and dropped off a passenger at a nearby bus stop. Initial investigations On 18 January, Defence Minister Guillermo Botero identified Rojas Rodríguez as a long-time member of the ELN, within which he served as an explosives expert. The individual was identified as Ricardo Carvajal after he allegedly confessed to the bombings over a telephone call investigators intercepted. Peace dialogue ends President Iván Duque Márquez announced on 18 January that peace dialogue between the Government of Colombia and the ELN was officially suspended. Duque also demanded that Cuba extradite the ten ELN leaders that found refuge on the island nation during peace talks and the reactivation of their Interpol Red Notices, and he criticized Venezuela for providing refuge for the ELN on the Colombia-Venezuela border. In response to the request, Cuba's Foreign Minister announced that Cuba would abide by the protocols of ongoing negotiations between both parties. Holmes Trujillo also stated that the Maduro government had taken "evasive positions" when speaking about the ELN. High Peace Commissioner Miguel Ceballos spoke out against its members being sheltered anymore now that it had claimed responsibility. ==International reactions==

A foreign national, identified as a female cadet from Ecuador, was killed in the attack, while three nationals from Panama, one from the United States and another also from Ecuador were wounded. Their respective governments have expressed their condemnation for the attack and assistance to their citizens. • Cuba: Cuba shared condolences with Colombia, with its foreign ministry stating Cuba "will act with strict respect for the Protocols of Dialogue and Peace signed by the Government and the ELN, including the Protocol in Case of a Rupture in Negotiations". • Panama: The Panamanian embassy in Bogotá expressed its indignation at the attack, and provided a phone number for information about Panamanian cadets affected. • United States: The Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Kimberly Breier condemned the bombing and said: "Our condolences and sympathies go to the victims and family members of those killed", while the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá offered its "help in investigating this reprehensible attack". Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Venezuela, and the Organization of American States also condemned the attack. ==References==