Two presidential campaign staffers killed in Colombia as elections near

Colombia’s citizens’ rights bureau says the unit could hinder the ‘exercise of governmental rights’ up of the May ballot to regenerate Gustavo Petro.

Two statesmanlike run staffers person been killed successful Colombia conscionable 2 weeks earlier the South American state heads to the polls.

The killings were announced by right-wing statesmanlike campaigner Abelardo de la Espriella, who said gunmen connected motorbikes changeable the victims successful the cardinal section of Meta connected Friday night.

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In a station connected the societal media level X, de la Esperiella said the 2 staffers “walked the streets defending democracy, freedom, and the anticipation of millions of Colombians”.

“Their lone transgression was believing successful the Fatherland and not kneeling earlier the violent,” the campaigner added.

The citizens’ rights ombudsman for Colombia identified the slain men arsenic Rogers Mauricio Devia Escoba, a erstwhile politician for the metropolis of Cubarral, and his advisor Eder Fabian Cardona Lopez.

The bureau said different onslaught took spot against a erstwhile mayoral campaigner successful the area, without providing further details.

While the attacks stay nether investigation, the ombudsman warned that they could impact the “exercise of governmental rights and antiauthoritarian participation” successful the upcoming predetermination connected May 31.

“Violence, threats, and immoderate signifier of intimidation undermine nationalist debate, deepen risks for governmental and societal leaderships, and weaken antiauthoritarian coexistence,” the bureau said successful a statement.

Meta has agelong been a stronghold for some rebel fighters and cocaine trafficking successful the country. Violence and surging crime person featured prominently successful the statesmanlike contention to regenerate the country’s archetypal leftist leader, Gustavo Petro.

The frontrunner successful the statesmanlike race, left-wing Senator Ivan Cepeda, has promised to proceed the people charted by Petro, who has championed a negotiated solution to Colombia’s equipped conflict.

De la Espriella, by contrast, has moulded himself successful the likeness of populist right-wing leaders similar El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele and Argentina’s Javier Milei.

Polls amusement him polling successful 2nd with much than 20 percent of elector support, followed by centre-right Senator Paloma Valencia.

Cepeda, meanwhile, is going into the archetypal circular of voting with betwixt 37 and 40 percent support. A full of 14 candidates were registered for the statesmanlike contention arsenic of March.

At slightest 3 candidates person reported receiving decease threats. The frontrunners each question with dense security.

Last year, Cepeda’s vice statesmanlike moving mate, Indigenous activistic and authorities legislator Aida Quilcue, was concisely kidnapped by a rebel radical that broke distant from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

It was among the dissident factions that refused to motion a 2016 woody with the government, nether which the FARC — the largest left-wing rebel organisation astatine the clip — agreed to disarm.

Miguel Uribe, a legislator and statesmanlike hopeful, was besides changeable during a June 2025 rally successful Bogota. He died from his coiled 2 months later, successful August.