The events of the last hours hit citizen trust.
Cali news
The attack occurred on Thursday, August 21, 2025 in front of the Marco Fidel Suárez air base again shuddered Cali and revived the fears of a city that lives in constant tension. The explosion of a truck loaded with cylinders, detonated at the entrance of the military installation, left a balance of five people dead and eleven wounds, in addition to several destroyed vehicles, as confirmed by the newspaper The country of Cali. This fact, cataloged by the authorities as a terrorist attack, represents a new blow to urban and military security in the Valle del Cauca.
The attack adds to the string of violent events that Cali has faced in recent months. In June, several simultaneous explosions in neighborhoods such as Manuela Beltrán, Meléndez and the mangoes caused fatalities and wounds, facts that made that RTVE and The country From Spain they attributed to the FARC dissidents led by aka “Iván Bite”. Just a few days before, the agency AP news He reported an attack with 24 explosives that left at least seven dead and more than 50 injured, with Cali as one of the epicenters. These background had already turned on the alarms about the ability of armed groups to operate in strategic urban areas.
To the seriousness of the facts is added the growing perception of citizen insecurity. A National Invamer survey, published in June by The country From Spain, he revealed that 36 % of Colombians consider insecurity as the main problem of the country and 89 % believe it has worsened. In Cali, the situation is even more critical: a 2022 DANE study, cited by The country From Cali, he pointed out that 84 % of the caleños felt insecure.
However, official statistics show another face. In June 2025, Cali registered the lowest number of homicides in 33 years, with a 16 % reduction compared to the same month of 2024, going from 75 to 63 cases, according to official figures. In July, the newspaper West He informed that homicides fell 17 %, while thefts to people fell 23 %and thefts in the mine system were reduced by 55 %.
The Cali Metropolitan Police has also reported advances. In the run of 2025, 3,057 captures have been made and, during the first 100 days of management, the City Hall tripled the security operations, reaching 418 interventions. To this is added the Choque Plan, a strategy mentioned by the authorities as a key in the reduction of homicides and thefts in June. However, these positive results fail to counteract the psychological and social impact of facts such as the attack on August 21, which reinforce the feeling of helplessness among citizens.
