Rogers Devia, a former mayor, and aide Eder Cardona were shot by gunmen on motorcycles in Meta department Friday night.
9:38 PM
Two members of right-wing presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella's campaign were shot dead Friday night in a rural area of Colombia's Meta department, authorities said Saturday.
Rogers Mauricio Devia, a former mayor of Cubarral who served between 2020 and 2023, and his aide Eder Fabián Cardona were ambushed by four armed men on motorcycles while traveling through the region after collecting campaign materials, according to a statement from de la Espriella's campaign team. Cubarral lies approximately 105 miles south of the capital, Bogota.
De la Espriella, who represents the National Salvation Movement and is the leading right-wing candidate in Colombia's presidential race, announced the killings on social media, stating that the two staffers "walked the streets defending democracy, freedom, and the hope of millions of Colombians."
The Public Defender's Office of Meta department confirmed the deaths in a posting on X and characterized the incident as "extremely serious and concerning." The office noted that the killings occur within an electoral context and stated they could harm "the exercise of political rights and democratic participation" ahead of Colombia's presidential elections scheduled for May 31.
The region where the attack occurred is disputed by multiple armed groups classified as terrorist organizations by the U.S. government, including two groups and a splinter faction of the once-dominant Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. The area has been the site of ongoing violence and criminal activity.
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