Colombian opposition congressman Julio César Triana was attacked by gunmen in the Huila department, southwest of Bogota, on Wednesday evening.
Armed men, allegedly part of a dissident group of the now-defunct FARC rebels, fired at Triana’s car after it refused to stop at a checkpoint, according to a press release from the representative’s office.
Nobody was injured in the attack, which has fuelled rising concerns over growing political violence in Colombia just days after Senator and presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe died from headshot wounds sustained in an attack in June.
Shortly after Wednesday’s shooting, reported to have occurred around 6:00PM local time, Triana posted a video on X showing bullet holes in the front and rear windshields of his official transport.
“A few minutes ago we were victims of a gun attack while we were leaving the municipality of La Plata, Huila,” wrote the congressman.
Triana, a member of the center-Right Cambio Radical, or Radical Change party, had been visiting his constituency and was returning to the department’s capital, Neiva, located some 200 miles south of Bogotá.
Eight bullets struck the car, which was also transporting three police officers, a bodyguard from the National Protection Unit (UNP) and a legislative assistant.
The Minister of Defense, Pedro Sánchez, blamed the shooting on the powerful Central General Staff (EMC) bloc, led by alias “Ivan Mordisco,” a former FARC commander.
Triana also shared on social media that he had previously received death threats, most recently on Tuesday when he was declared a “military target” by another bloc of the EMC.
In May 2024, Triana was sent another anonymous message declaring him a military target and in October received death threats against him and his family on WhatsApp.
The congressman also shared two letters that he had sent to the UNP requesting bolstered protection, both of which he said were rejected.
Triana had sent the most recent request in June, days after Senator Miguel Uribe was shot by a hitman in Bogotá, an attack that eventually led to his death this week.
The shooting sparked concerns over the direction of Colombia’s politics, with many commentators comparing the attack to the political violence of the 1980s and 1990s.
“After the attack against Miguel Uribe, all politicians in Colombia are in danger, but particularly more those who have to venture out into rural areas to cater to their constituents, such was the case of Mr. Triana,” Sergio Guzmán, Director at Colombia Risk Analysis, told Latin America Reports.
Triana renewed his call for greater protection for politicians, something that multiple presidential candidates publicly lobbied for following Uribe’s shooting.
But Guzmán suggested that the state lacks the resources to sufficiently protect candidates in the upcoming elections.
“It’s going to be nearly impossible for the government to be able to protect all of the politicians who are campaigning this season, unfortunately,” said the analyst.
The government faces multiple threats from illegal armed groups operating across the country. The area near La Plata, where Triana’s car was attacked, is a stronghold for multiple factions of FARC dissidents, who are engaged in active combat with government forces.
The Ivan Mordisco bloc had been engaged in peace negotiations with the government until a ceasefire broke down in July.
“If they think that threats and attacks will silence us, they are very much mistaken. We will continue to denounce insecurity, not only in our department, but throughout the country,” wrote Triana following the attack.
Featured image description: Congressman Triana with speaks alongside police officers shortly after the shooting.
Featured image credit: @TrianaCongreso via X
