Explosive Drones Strike Colombian Army Base, Killing Three Soldiers and Wounding 47; Defence Minister Blames ELN

Colombia's Army said explosive-laden drones struck a military base in Santa Rosa del Sur, in the northern department of Bolívar, at midday on Saturday, November 7, killing three soldiers and wounding at least 16. The Army did not say who carried out the attack; President Abelardo de la Espriella called it a terrorist attack and vowed to hold those responsible to account.

Three blasts; soldiers took cover in sandbag shelters

The target was the Santa Rosa del Sur military compound, home to the Army's 48th Jungle Battalion. Video circulating on social media showed three explosions in succession and smoke rising from the base as soldiers took cover in shelters built from sandbags. In a statement updated at 2:38 p.m. local time, the Army's First Division confirmed the drones had been fitted with explosive devices, killing three service members and seriously wounding eight, with other personnel also receiving medical care; a final casualty total has not been published. The armed forces later confirmed that at least 16 were wounded; the local mayor had earlier put the total injured at 35.

Gold-rich area contested by several armed groups

Santa Rosa del Sur lies in the foothills of the San Lucas mountain range, an area rich in gold mines long fought over by the Gulf Clan, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and smaller factions led by former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Early reports pointed to possible ELN involvement, but responsibility has not been established and no organisation has publicly claimed the attack.

President vows response; truck bomb reported the same day

President de la Espriella wrote on X on November 7 that those behind the attack "will have nowhere to hide" and ordered intensified operations to capture those responsible, adding that every attack on soldiers only strengthens the resolve to defend Colombia. A truck bomb exploded the same day in Patía, in Cauca department, with details still to be verified. The Associated Press noted the attack was the latest in a series of attacks on security forces as violence rises across rural parts of the country.

(Sources: Colombian Army; Associated Press; El Espectador.)

November 8 update: military confirms at least 16 wounded, casualty figures reconciled

Colombia's armed forces said in a statement issued in the early hours of November 8 that the attack on the Santa Rosa del Sur base killed three soldiers and wounded at least 16, reconciling the previously conflicting injury figures. President de la Espriella wrote on X that those behind the attack "will have nowhere to hide", adding that every attack on soldiers only strengthens the resolve to defend Colombia. The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) recorded 34 attacks involving bombs or explosives in the four weeks to October 16, a nine percent increase over the average four-week figure for last year. De la Espriella took office in August; authorities have still not said who carried out the attack, no group has claimed responsibility, and details of the truck bomb reported the same day in Cauca department are still to be verified.

Update, November 8: Colombian paper puts wounded at 47; military sources point to ELN

Colombian newspaper Vanguardia, citing military sources, reported that the Santa Rosa del Sur base attack left 16 people seriously wounded plus 31 more with minor injuries, putting the total wounded at 47; the paper also cited military sources attributing the attack to the National Liberation Army (ELN), carried out with several explosive-laden drones. The armed forces' official statement still says at least 16 were wounded, and President de la Espriella has not formally named a perpetrator; the casualty total and the identity of the attackers remain to be confirmed by the authorities.

Update, November 8: Wounded rises to 47; defence minister says ELN attacked in reprisal for commander's capture

The Colombian Army's latest report puts the toll from the Santa Rosa del Sur base attack at 47 wounded, 16 of them seriously, a sharp rise from the at least 16 first reported by the armed forces. Defence Minister Jorge Eduardo Mora López said the attack 'would be a reprisal by the ELN for the capture of alias Carrito', named as the head of the ELN's Guamocó front. El Tiempo reported that the soldiers were having lunch when the drones hit, and that the Ombudsman's Office has asked the Interior Ministry to urgently convene its early-warning committee. The armed forces and the president had not previously named a perpetrator, and the ELN has not claimed responsibility; the dead remain three soldiers, whose names have not been released.