Medellin, Colombia – On Thursday morning, a drone dropped a mortar shell on a house in Segovia, a town in the northeastern province of Antioquia, killing three of its occupants and seriously wounding one.
Police identified the victims as María Cecilia Silva Silva and her two adult children, Yalusan Cano Silva and Alsonso de Jesús Silva. Silva’s other son was also injured in the attack.
Segovia is a key center for illegal gold mining and is contested by several armed groups, including the Armed Forces of Colombia’s Gaitanists (EGC), also known as Clan del Golfo, and the now-defunct dissident wing of the FARC rebels.
Authorities are still trying to determine whether the attack targeted the family or was a mistake by the drone operator. Drones are becoming increasingly common as they become the latest technology to be used in Colombia’s civil war.
According to Antioquia’s Security Minister, General Luis Eduardo Martínez Gúzman, the victims were “families that had nothing to do with the conflict, families that were simply attacked by drones.”
Martínez highlighted the dangers of such devices, suggesting that the explosive device could detach from the drone, meaning the mortar “could fall anywhere.”
General William Oswaldo Rincón Zambrano, Colombian police chief, issued the following condemnatory statement: “(We) resolutely reject this criminal act that plunges Colombian families into mourning and demonstrates the illegal armed group’s contempt for human life and dignity.”
He also reported that state security forces had headed to the area where the attack occurred to determine what happened and help find and arrest those responsible. He also expressed solidarity with the victims and their families.
Antioquia Governor Andrés Julián Rendón took to social media to blame the central government’s security policies for the attack. “Who in their right mind could think that this government has achieved change for Colombia?”
Rendon accused President Gustavo Petro of negotiating with armed groups involved in the Segovia conflict as part of the left-wing leader’s policy of “complete peace.”
“This is the so-called ‘complete peace’: concessions for criminals and burial for civilians. Antioquia demands an unwavering military offensive, full support for the security forces and zero tolerance for criminals,” Rendón said.
Drone attacks against armed groups as well as security forces and civilians have become widespread in Colombia. From April 2024 to February 2026, the government recorded 418 attacks using drones.
Tackling the growing security crisis is a key issue in the upcoming elections, which the United Nations warns could be undermined by armed conflict.
This article originally appeared on The Bogotá Post and is republished with permission..
Featured image caption: Drone with GoPro digital camera.
Featured image source: Don McCullough, Wikimedia Commons.
