Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro traveled to the southern Neiva province after armed men massacred seven policemen.
The deadly attack on the police convoy took place just outside the provincial capital Neiva on Friday.
According to the National Police, the cops came under fire and were attacked with explosives while on patrol.
The responsibility of the attack wasn’t immediately claimed by any of the illegal armed groups that are active in the region.
Petro traveled to Neiva after sending Defense Minister Ivan Velasquez, Interior Minister Alfonso Prada and General Henry Armando Sanabria of the National Police to lead the investigations into the attack.
The commander of the Armed Forces, General Helder Fernan Giraldo, traveled to Neiva to coordinate attempts to reinforce security in the region.
The president ordered the government and police officials to create a “Joint-Command Post” in Neiva that would improve regional security coordination.
According to Petro, the attack was an “evident sabotage of Total Peace,” the government’s policy that seeks to expand a peace process that began with a 2016 agreement with the now-defunct guerrilla group FARC.
Multiple illegal armed groups have expressed their interest in taking part in the government’s proposed peace process.
None of the groups have made visible efforts to reduce violence against the security forces and civilians.
