Two Presidential Campaign Staffers Killed in Meta as Election Violence Surges

Two campaign workers for right-wing presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella were shot and killed by gunmen on motorcycles in the department of Meta, fifteen days before the May 31 first-round presidential election. The victims were identified as Rogers Mauricio Devia Escoba, former mayor of Cubarral, and his adviser Eder Fabián Cardona López. The killings represent the latest in a wave of political violence targeting campaign workers and local officials ahead of Colombia's most consequential election since 2022. OHCHR had flagged the pre-election period as a moment of heightened danger for human rights defenders and political figures in March 2026.