Two Campaign Workers Killed in Colombia Ahead of Presidential Election
BOGOTÁ: Two campaign workers for Abelardo De La Espriella, a right-wing candidate in Colombia’s presidential race, were tragically killed just two weeks before the election. The incident took place in the southeastern region of Meta.
The victims, Rogers Mauricio Devia and Fabian Cardona, were shot on Friday night while traveling on a motorcycle in a rural area of Cubarral. According to De La Espriella’s party, Defenders of the Homeland, four masked assailants on motorcycles attacked them. Devia, a former mayor of Cubarral, was leading the local campaign for De La Espriella, while Cardona was responsible for logistics. They were returning with campaign materials from nearby Villavicencio when the attack occurred.
“They were brutally murdered in cold blood,” De La Espriella stated in a video released to the press. While the authorities have not identified any specific armed group as responsible, De La Espriella insinuated that a dissident faction of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) might be involved, though he did not provide any evidence to support his claim.
In other news, the Colombian government has announced the suspension of a ceasefire with ELN fighters. De La Espriella currently ranks second in polls, trailing leftist candidate Ivan Cepeda, ahead of the May 31 first-round vote. He has vowed to take a tough stance against guerrillas, gangs, and drug trafficking, which includes bombing rebel camps and resuming aerial spraying of coca crops.
Recently, he also raised concerns about a potential assassination plot against him involving members of government intelligence. Colombians will soon vote to choose a successor to President Gustavo Petro, with a runoff expected on June 21 if no candidate secures more than 50% of the votes.
