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Foreign countries express solidarity with Colombia after Bogota bomb attack

by Adriaan Alsema

A number of foreign government and international entities have condemned Saturday’s bomb attack in Colombia’s capital Bogota, while offering solidarity to the victims.

One of the first to respond was the United States, whose embassy in Bogota on Saturday evening expressed “our sincere condolences to relatives and friends of those affected by the explosion in Andino Shopping Center. The United States stands by to provide any support requested by the Colombian authorities.”

‘Terrorist attack’ in Bogota shopping mall kills 3, injures 9

The Embassy recommends that American citizens follow Colombian National Police and local media reports for updates and advisories.

US embassy in Bogota

IMPORTANTEExpresamos nuestras sinceras condolencias a familiares y amigos de aquellos afectados por la explosión en el…

Geplaatst door Embajada de los Estados Unidos Colombia op zaterdag 17 juni 2017

The embassy sent out a security message for US citizens living in Colombia, urging them to “let concerned family and friends know that you are OK. Although Monday, June 19 is a Colombian holiday, the embassy will be open.”

Canada’s government called on citizens in Colombia to “remain vigilant” and also published an updated warning for Canadian citizens in Colombia.

France, the country that lost a 23-year-old citizen in the attack, also condemned the bombing. The European country’s Foreign Ministry said Sunday that Paris “stands at Colombia’s side in this painful moment.”

France’s ambassador to Bogota expressed his condolences to the victims, while French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron expressed his sadness on Twitter.

“At age 23, a committed volunteer in Bogota, a compatriot has lost her life in an explosion. Sadness and condolences for her relatives.”

The European Union’s embassy in the South American country said “we repudiate the attack in the Andino mall and we join the families of the Colombian victims and the French citizen in their pain.”

The United Kingdom urged citizens to “remain vigilant and follow the advice of the local security authorities.”

The ambassador of Norway, one of the guarantors of the peace process, said in Spanish his government condemned “the cruel attack on the Andino mall. Solidarity with the victims’ families.”

The Secretary General of the Organization of American States, Uruguay’s Luis Almargo, said his organization condemned “the cowardly attack in Bogota” and urged for “no more violence. Colombia wants peace and security.”

Latin American countries from Argentina to Mexico also expressed their solidarity on Twitter.