联合国特使谴责哥伦比亚革命武装力量涉嫌恐怖袭击
A UN envoy on Thursday condemned a deadly motorcycle bomb blast that Colombian authorities blamed on the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla group.
Fabrizio Hochschild, the UN representative in Colombia, said civilians were bearing the brunt of the armed conflict in Colombia, and called on the FARC, which is in peace talks with the government, to stop its attacks and end five decades of fighting in the country.
"If there are peaceful talks, both sides must try their best to prevent the conflict from continuing to cause violence against civilians," said the envoy in a statement.
The blast, which killed a woman and wounded 25 others, took place early Thursday morning in front of the city hall in the town of Pradera -- Colombia's southwest department of Valle del Cauca.
At that time, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos was having a Council of Ministers meeting in Popayan -- a city near Pradera.
Condemning the attack, Santos said via Twitter that "we consider the attack to be a vile terrorist action. "
"The Defense Ministry is moving to the site. What irrational and contradictory behavior on the part of the FARC! " Santos said.
The injured, including two police officers, were taken to hospitals in Pradera, Palmira and Cali.
Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon also condemned the attack and announced that military presence in the area will be beefed up.
