Two presidential campaign staffers killed in Colombia as elections near
Key takeaways
- Colombia’s citizens’ rights office says the violence could hinder the ‘exercise of political rights’ ahead of the May vote to replace Gustavo Petro.
- The killings were announced by right-wing presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, who said gunmen on motorbikes shot the victims in the central department of Meta on Friday night.
- In a post on the social media platform X, de la Esperiella said the two staffers “walked the streets defending democracy, freedom, and the hope of millions of Colombians”.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Colombia’s citizens’ rights office says the violence could hinder the ‘exercise of political rights’ ahead of the May vote to replace Gustavo Petro.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Colombia's right-wing presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, from the Defensores de la Patria movement, greets supporters during a campaign rally on May 14 in Cali, Colombia [AFP]By Al Jazeera Staff and AFPPublished On 16 May 202616 May 2026Two presidential campaign staffers have been killed in Colombia just two weeks before the South American country heads to the polls.
The killings were announced by right-wing presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, who said gunmen on motorbikes shot the victims in the central department of Meta on Friday night.